Ten Thousand Fists
by Evilsheeplordthatsaysmoo
Summary: In order to save his loved ones, Naruto calls upon the power of Heroes past, present, and future. Watch as he blazes a new path through the world, and finds the real meaning behind the word "Hero". Naruto/Ben10, Naruto/Harem
1. First Fist

Moo!

Hello my reads and welcome to my first story! Now some of you may say "But Evilsheeplordthatsaysmoo you already have a story?", yes that is true… but this is MY first original story. So I hope you all enjoy for I believe it is the first of its kind, a Naruto/Ben 10 crossover!

Also for future reference this is a Harem story and the contestants have already been picked so please don't try to wiggle your own choices into the recipe, because that makes me angry…and you won't like me when I'm angry…

Finally I would like that ask you guys to look into my friend and beta, animeawesome, stories.

**Disclaimer:** Now you all I own nothing except for a ridiculously large book collection… and lots of sheep, oh how I Love those furry little bastards…

XxXxX First Fist XxXxX

"You are the Nine-tailed Demon Fox, the Kyubi no Kitsune!"

That line continued to run rampant through Naruto's skull. So this was why everything was as it was, why the Gods, as well as his parents, had abandoned him. The Demon. Bitter laughter was on the verge of bursting from his bloodied lips; it was because he _was_ the Kyubi. Tears began to slip downs his face as he realized all the people he had killed.

A rumbling sound echoed through his mind. Slowly it grew, and grew, and _grew_! **"No**, **you are not the monster, only its container. YOU ARE NOT THE KYUBI!"**

'But Mizuki-sensei said that-,' his mind could not comprehend. What was this thing, this voice in the back of his head? Could it be…

"**MIZUKI KNOWS NOTHING OF YOU!"**barked the voice causing Naruto to visibly wince in shock and pain.

Suddenly, Naruto was knocked to the ground. The sound of flesh being torn and shredded rang through the clearing. A wet substance rained upon Naruto's face as he was pushed harshly to the ground. Looking up Naruto saw his one time academy teacher, Iruka, covered in blood. Naruto took a quick glance behind him to see that a rather large fuuma shuriken was buried in his Sensei's back. But even through the pain, Iruka some how smiled a Naruto.

"Are you hurt, Naruto?" he asked with only the slightest of grimaces do to the pain of the shuriken.

Naruto could only look at his Sensei with shock filled eyes. Why would Iruka ask something like that when he knew that he was the Demon that killed over half of the Shinobi population thirteen years ago?

"**YOU ARE NOT THE DEMON!!"**the voice screamed again.

"Why," was all Naruto could choke out as he tried to hold back his sobs, he hadn't cried in over nine years and he sure as Hell wasn't going to cry now.

Iruka looked at him for a moment before his own tears began to spill from his eyes, "Because we're the same; both orphans, both with no-one to show us any love or comfort. I was the same as you after my parents died; I became the clown of the class. It was the only way that I could find the recognition that I needed."

Naruto looked at him in shock. Not from what he was saying, no, it was the look in his Sensei's eyes that shocked him. They held no resentment towards him what so ever but it did hold concern, grief, and the slightest bit of shame; shame not towards Naruto but towards himself. Naruto couldn't understand why his Sensei was looking at him like that. Shouldn't his eyes be filled with hate like all the other people that looked at him? Wasn't it the Demon that took his Sensei's parents away and forced him to become an orphan and lonely?

Everything was happening too fast for him. There were too many unanswerable questions running through his head. He wanted to get away. No, _needed_ to get away. With all the speed his body could muster, Naruto fled from the clearing; fled from underneath Iruka and just simply ran, with no destination in mind.

Mizuki chuckled until he was laughing all out. "Did you see the eye's of your precious student, Iruka? Those were the eyes of the Kyubi, and with that Forbidden Scroll, he'll take all his hatred, sadness, and loneliness out on all those villagers. Won't it be beautiful, Iruka?"

Iruka could only tear the fuuma shuriken from his back, and, in a fetal attempt, threw the deadly weapon back to its owner. Unfortunately, being the weapon expert of the academy, Mizuki sidestepped the shuriken with the easy of a seasoned warrior. Iruka's hatred for his so-called comrade was all but rolling off him in waves. How _dare_ he do that to Naruto! How _dare_ he!

With one last, fleeting glance and a laugh Mizuki disappeared into the canopy of the nearby trees to find his prey, leaving a panting and bleeding Iruka behind

XxXxX

Naruto knew not how long he ran, for that was all his brain could comprehend at the moment; putting one foot in front of the other, time was not relevant. All the time his mind was at war with itself; one side was yelling at him that he _was_ the Kyubi, the reincarnation of pure, unadulterated malice and evil. While the other part was _screaming_ at him that he was _Naruto_ and not a lowly demon. The war waged on as he ran, growing in intensity the farther he retreated, until he fell to the ground with a wail of pain, clutching his skull as it threatened to spilt itself as the voices continued.

"_You know what the man says is true, you_ are_ this village's harbinger of death…"_ cooed one of the voices.

"**NO. YOU. ARE. NOT!!!" **roared the second. Though the voice sounded as if it could tear his universe in two with just a mere thought, it also had a somewhat, dare he say, _comforting_ quality to it. **"YOU ARE THE ONLY THING HOLDING M… mass… MASS TERROR BACK." **

He clutched his head tighter as the voices fought with a new vigor, until a flash of stars erupted behind his eyelids. A roar of fury, and an explosion of pain coursed throughout his entire body, all became quiet. Naruto lay there for several seconds, wondering if he was dead. He felt nothing, smelt nothing, heard nothing, saw nothing, and tasted nothing. Slowly, after what felt like an eternity, everything started to return to him. He started to feel the grass beneath his hands and the breeze that drifted across his face. He started to smell the smoothing scent of the pines that was carried by the wind. He started to hear his own steady breathing as well as the rustling of the leaves in the trees. He saw the shadows that were cast by the full moon over head. And he finally tasted the blood that came off his own tongue, seeing as he accidentally bit it.

He softly began to hear a new sound, the sound of someone panting…heavily. **"You are not, nor will you ever be, the Kyubi-no-Yoko. I will **_**personally**_** see to it that you never become that."**

Naruto lay there for several more minutes. He felt at ease in hearing that, not only because it eased his mind to a near dreamless and restful sleep, but also because the voice held the most sense of _love_ that he had ever heard _anyone_ direct towards himself, externally or otherwise.

Then two familiar voices suddenly interrupted his musing.

"You of all people should hate that Demon." It was Mizuki!

Slowly, with what little strength Naruto had, he crawled towards the sound of the voice. Finally he pressed his back up against a tree at the edge of the clearing that held the voices.

"It's true…I hate the Demon…" That was Iruka's voice. Once Naruto heard that sentence he gentle hung his head, and gripped the Forbidden Scroll tighter to his chest, as he realized that the one person that he ever trusted truly hated him. He had almost forgotten that he still had the Scroll tied to his back.

"I hate the Demon…but not the boy. Not Naruto…"

As the small voice of self-destruction began to creep back into existence it was quickly crushed by Iruka's last sentence. It also seemed to empower The Other voice, the voice that calmed him and if he looked back cooed him to sleep when he was little. The rest of the conversation was lost to him as a new and almost indestructible determination flooded through his mind. He slowly raised his hands until they came before his face and, closing his eyes in great concentration, formed a hand sign that resembled a cross. To anyone looking at him from the outside would have thought that he was warding off some unseen creature of darkness.

'_Iruka-sensei…I will not let harm come to you,' _thought Naruto as the air around him began to crackle with Chakra. The world began to shake as though the earth itself was going to split in two and swallow all the was evil on its surface while Naruto dug deeper and deeper into his heart, mind, and very soul to find just a little more Chakra. _'Not NOW, NOT EVER!!'_

XxXxX

"I _was_ going to wait 'til the end of all this to kill you but seeing as you won't _shut up_ I'LL JUST KILL YOU NOW!" screamed Mizuki as he sent his last fuuma shuriken on a crash course with Iruka heart.

Suddenly an orange and blond blur intercepted the fumma shuriken, and quickly sent it back to its original owner by nimbly gripping the spinning projectile by its inner ring and, after adding some extra rotations, hurling it with all his strength. Mizuki barely had time to register the new danger to his health and narrowly dodged the incoming buzz saw; only to rewarded with a severally deep gash across his upper arm. The traitor quickly tore his eyes form the gash on his arm to the one that had caused it, Uzumaki Naruto, the Kyubi-no-Kitsune.

"You dare to harm Iruka-sensei! You dare to harm someone precious to me!! NOW YOU PAY!!!" roared 'Naruto' as he cocked back his fist and dashed towards the offending man.

XxXxX

Prior to original belief, Naruto was actually moderately intelligent. Don't get him wrong, he wasn't like some geniuses such as Sasuke, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Hinata, but in his own right he was a genius; living on the streets since one was five would do that to someone. But unlike the afore mentioned individuals, Naruto was not book smart, he was smart in understand peoples abilities as well as their mind set and skill level just by either looking at their body language or eyes. This is why Naruto had sent out a Shadow Clone in order to save Iruka and stall for time.

Why stall for time? It was simple; while Mizuki was badly injured Naruto could still see the Jounin that he was. Sure he was label as a Chunnin Academy instructor, but Naruto insight had never been wrong, and even though the technique was a Kinjutsu it was one of the weaker ones; and Naruto would need something much, much stronger to beat him.

Frantically he skimmed through the Forbidden Scroll looking for anything that could help him, but everything he saw was way over his head. Monumental elemental techniques were the main basis with other Kinjutsu's that were the combination of other Jutsu's he hadn't even heard of.

The fight was not going well, and even though he pumped a good amount of Chakra into the clone, the clone itself could only summon so many Shadow Clones.

Suddenly he saw something out of the corner of his eye and slowly he turned his head until he was facing the rolled out part of the Scroll. The techniques name was simple nothing like the other ones, and its name was…

"Ten Thousand Fists…" murmured Naruto.

In the center of the rolled out section of the scroll was a summoning seal, much like one that you would find on a storage scroll. All the seal required was a small amount of blood and a decent amount of Chakra, which Naruto had in good amounts. A cry of pain echoed out of the clearing that was not the Clone that he had sent out; it was that of the voice of Iruka.

"Come out, come out little fox… If you don't then Iruka becomes my dead mothers new pincushion…" taunted Mizuki.

'_So,'_ Naruto thought bitterly, _'he found out…'_

"I'll give you to the count of five to get out here before I kill Iruka…" chuckled the deranged Chunnin.

Seconds later a sickening _'snap'_ was heard followed by Iruka's cries of pain, "One…"

Naruto's eyes widened in horror; Mizuki was count by breaking Iruka's fingers!

'_Snap'_ "Two…"

Without thinking Naruto bit his thumb, causing it bleed, and swiped it across the center of the seal. He then placed the palm of his left hand over the blood smear and poured Chakra into the seal.

'_Snap' _"Three…"

The scroll under his hand began to shine as the seal unwound itself from the scroll and onto his hand until it seal rewound itself and his wrist and stopped. He then looked at his newly tattooed wrist in slight awe and in major dissatisfaction; the tattoo even resembled the outline of a watch that told time. Sure the thing looked cool but it seemed to have no importance what so ever.

Oh, if only he knew how important it was…

'_Snap'_ "Four…" the voice sounded more irritated now.

Naruto sighed pitifully; he couldn't let Iruka suffer anymore. Slowly he stood and made the short distance to the opening of the clearing to where Iruka and Mizuki were by stepping in front of the tree he had been hiding behind.

Mizuki was standing over Iruka with a kunai to the scarred mans throat and his other hand clasping one of Iruka's free hands. All the fingers on said hand were all twisted in a disgusting position; all save his pinky, which was next in line. Mizuki's face split into a sickeningly, maniacal sneer once his little fox made himself known. Blood continued to drip from Mizuki's torn arm that held the kunai, leaving raindrops on his victim. Naruto averted his eyes to those of his brief tormentor, his ice-cold eyes meeting those black dead eyes of the man across the clearing.

Without warning, Mizuki stood to his full height and, faster than Naruto could even comprehend at the moment, released a volley of assorted kunai and shuriken. With no place to dodge to, Naruto took the hit only to find him self pinned to the tree that he been hiding behind.

Naruto's eyes had not changed as he stood there, flush to the tree. The searing pain that signaled him to his, now, useless right arm was not enough to break his glare with the traitor of Konoha; if anything it only intensified it until the intent to kill was spewing forth in waves. Mizuki quickly erupted into laughter, even if something inside of he felt cautious at the feeling of his killing intent.

"You can do what ever you want with me, just let Iruka-sensei go," Naruto spat venomously.

Mizuki looked up from his laughter, his one good arm clutching his side from the intensity of the laughter, and grinned insanely at the trapped youth. "You, my little fox, are in no place to give orders."

"But he has nothing to do with this!" Naruto shouted.

"Oh, but he does…" Mizuki cooed, "He's going to stay here and WATCH YOU DIE!!!" he ended with an insane scream. Mizuki then threw his last fumma shuriken, which had been strapped to his back, at the defenseless Hero.

The shuriken soared through the air towards its target intending to remove him from the world that he loved so much. The blond would-be Shinobi spared one look at Iruka's horror and sorrow filled eyes and realized, even though he accepted his own death, he couldn't let Mizuki win. Closer and closer the shuriken came to its dinner, the wind it cut through sounding like an enraged and rabid animal.

Suddenly screaming filled his ears that only he could hear, **"HEROES ART: TEN THOUSAND FISTS!!!!"**

A flash of light and a puff of smoke alerted the blond prankster that something had happen to his wrist and with a quick look to the left found out what had happened. The strange bracelet like tattoo was now replaced with a strange orange, black, and white looking watch. On what would be the time face of the watch were the two orange triangles that met together, forming what could be described as an hourglass shape. The timepiece of the 'watch' seemed to be elevated by about an inch on some kind of button and the triangles had converged to for a diamond with some kind of shadow in the background.

Before he could investigate the 'watch' anymore, the woman's screaming filled his ears again, **"DON'T JUST STAND THERE, SLAM IT DOWN!!" **And without any more suggestions Naruto did just that, he turned his wrist so the face of the watch was facing the truck of the tree and jammed it against its bark, forcing the button back into its resting position in the watch; in the process he saved his life, his Sensei's life, and changed his life, and the lives of many others, forever.

There was a flash of bright orange light, a fluctuation of power, followed by a screeching sound as the fumma shuriken fell in shards to the ground. The flash of light and the flux of power had left a large dust cloud in the way of the tree. A quiet, almost insane, chuckling began to fill the clearing, but what was strange was that it was not of anyone in the clearing. Finally the dust cleared and there before the two Chunnin stood a man that was _defiantly_ not Naruto.

The man that stood in Naruto's place was wearing old feudal clothes in the form of a deep crimson haori and matching crimson hakama pants. His hair shocked the two men as it was a rich silver color and reached all the way down to the middle of his back, but the shock of the mans hair was nothing compared to the shock of seeing two silver _dog_ _ears_ on top of his head. The man's golden eyes and elongated fangs only served to frighten the men more.

"Feh, you think I'm through with you?" asked the silver haired man as he began to tear kunai and shuriken from his person. He roughly pushed his back off of the tree he had been pinned to and slowly began to stalk towards Mizuki; he body hunched over, ready to pounce.

Mizuki took a fearful step back, before loosing his balance and falling flat on is rear. This couldn't be possible, the power flowing off of him was equivalent to that of his master! Pitifully, he tried to drag his battered body away from the monster before him but was stopped as this new being grabbed his ankle and hoisted him up into the air.

"Ah-ah-ahhh," cooed the man as he wagged his finger before the doomed man's face, "you said you wanted to fight a demon, didn't you?" He laughed when he saw both men beginning to shake in fear. "Feh, weaklings." The dog eared man drove his fist deep into Mizuki's stomach knocking his unconscious, and then he tossed the body like a tattered rag doll causing it to strike a tree and fall into a heap.

"Naruto?"

The red clad man turned to Iruka as he sat there in shock and looked upon him in a mixture of annoyance and relief, "Who else do you think it would be, you scar-face?"

Iruka's mouth fell to the ground, "Naruto!? What happened to you?!"

Naruto raised his hand until it was placed behind his head and scratched his head sheepishly. "Well I don't know all the specifics, but in laymen's terms…I've become this…" his eye's glazed over suddenly as if he was being told the secrets of the universe, "this half dog demon, Inuyasha, son of the great Inu-Taicho."

Iruka looked at him as if he had grown dog-ears, before chuckling good-naturedly, "All right Naruto you can drop the Transformation now it seems-"

"So all that is, is a Transformation," suddenly came Mizuki's gurgling response as he lifted himself onto his feet. "And that watch, I remember reading about something just like it in Snow Country. Since they're Shinobi usually are not capable to mold Charka in high amounts they created Charka Armour." He drunkenly pointed his finger towards the orange hourglass-shaped badge over Inuyasha's heart, "That's what that is isn't it, some kind of Charka Armour!?" He began to chuckle madly as he reached into his back pocket and retrieved a vial, "I knew that little Shadow Clone displace was a fluke and now," he popped the cork on the vial in his hand and downed the ruby elixir in one gulp, "I'll **sh**ow y**o**u wh**at** **true power is**!!"

Mizuki's body suddenly erupted with Charka and his form began to morph. His shoulders widened to the point of his shirt tore under the stress and his muscles rippled and bulged under his flesh like coiling snakes. The hair on his arms and the rest of his body grew at a rapid rate until his body was covered in fur, as well as his gash upon his arm healed at a rapid rate. And to add the icing to the cake two cats like ears emerged from the top of his head. Before them now stood what could be described as a large man/tiger hybrid.

A roar was the only warning the two received before the man beast that was Mizuki launched himself at the two like a large furry cannon ball, but Inuyasha easily met him in mid air before the tiger could reach its prey. Although let it not be said that cat is weaker than the dog as the cat easily tore through the dogs flesh; bringing forth ferocious roars of pain and rage.

"Enough of this," barked the Half-Demon as he leapt in the air, away from the rending claws of the cat. His own claws skillfully dipped into his own wounds, smearing them with his own life giving fluid, "**Blades of Blood**!" he roared to the Heavens as he slashed his bloodied claws towards his opponent. Crescents of pure Demonic Aura numbering in the dozens tore through the night air towards their intended target, tearing through defenseless trees and causing large gashes to form on the ground as some missed.

Many of the crimson blades ripped and shredded their intended target, but it was not enough to cause his fatality. Mizuki waited silently in the dust cloud that was kicked up by the attack for the Dog-man to land, and as Inuyasha made contact with the ruined ground, Mizuki went on the offensive. Unfortunately, Naruto had been slightly winded from his Clone creating before he had Transformed into this Hero and with the **'Blades of Blood'** technique also taking quite a bit of energy, Inuyasha was nearly on empty. So when the Cat-man tore up the ground to reach him, Inuyasha could do little to defend against the onslaught.

Mizuki's clawed hand encompassed his head with ease as he forced the Half-Demon's skull into the ground with bone crushing force. Over and over again Inuyasha's skull met the stony ground harshly as the enraged Mizuki continued his mission in turning the Dog's skull into dust, as well as most of his other bones in the process. Again and again the stars erupted and the cosmos blossomed behind his eyes, and again and again they were snuffed out only to be reborn in a seconds time.

Suddenly a blink of a red light and the sound of a winding down warning siren filled both their eyes and ears and moments later a blinding flash of red erupted from Inuyasha's prone, unconscious figure. As Mizuki lowered his arms from his protected position he saw that Naruto took the place of the Half-Demon that had caused his heart to skip a beat and fear to creep within his mind. A sneer found its way upon the Cat-man's face as a pool of blood began to seep from the boy's head and began to fill the small crater that his head had made. With that the Demonized Mizuki threw his head back and roared to Hell his victory over the Demon's spawn.

XxXxX

The Transformation into the new Hero had taken a lot out of the age old Demon that resided in the blond teens stomach, not to mention the little…clean up that the being had to deal with prior to the sudden genetic shift. Naruto had more power than he could ever dream of in his mind thanks to the Demon's presence, and when he had finally given up on himself after so many years of self reliance he created a figure within his own mind that soul purpose was to destroy him. The presence was quite strong, powered by years of suppressed hatred and despair, similar to the Hollows of old the Demon mused, and it had taken quite a bit of it to turn it to nothing more than a memory of dust.

Once the presence was destroyed and Naruto was able to protect himself by becoming one of the Heroes that resided in the watch, the Kyubi had taken a small rest, its confidence in its container in great supply. Rest is what took up most of the Kyubi's time since it had to recharge its great power that it had once possessed, and luckily that time when its power was all but fully recharged was coming so very close. The other portion of its time was spent viewing its blond container.

Its mighty tails twitched slightly as it woke, and, perking its head up high into the air, it yawned with jaw cracking intensity. Surely by now the fight would be over and the Kyubi could once again, like the many nights that it had stayed awake through, comfort Naruto's sleeping soul as it always did. Getting on all four of its slender legs the Kyubi stretched like one of its brethren, arching its back with a feline like elegance, and slowly began to shrink. As the great Beast decreased in its size, the size of the seal that held it shrank as well until it was a semi-comfortable space for that of a human.

Again the Beast stretched, but this time it was with its arm high above its head. A satisfied moan was held trapped by her crimson lips as the joints in her shoulders, spine and even sternum cracked in a delicious symphony of pops. All of her lean muscles coiled under her bare flesh like those of a tuned spring, stretching and straining like tendons of a fine thro bred horse. She ran her manicured claws through her shoulder length orange hair held in two messy ponytails to loosen some of the smaller knots that had accumulated in it from her light dozing session. She had once tried to grow her hair out to past her rear when she was still within the Court but brushing and combing became an almost impossible task, so she left her hair at shoulder length; personally she thought that she looked rather ravishing with it as such.

She looked down at her figure as well as her reflection from the pool of unshed tears that covered the entirety of the young blonds mind and couldn't help but smile. She was nude, of course since clothing in her case was slightly uncalled for, and she had to admit that she was rather attractive. Her face was as lean as her muscles and form was, with ruby irises, crimson full lips along with elongated fangs that would peak past her lips as she smiled, and a slight rosy hue to her cheeks like those of a school girl. Her shoulders were narrow and her hair fell to them in like the rays of the setting sun. Her breast… her smirk grew ever so slightly, her breasts were of a high 'B' class to a low 'C' class. She had seen other women with abnormally large breast and was disgusted with them; she wanted breast that could be used as comfortable pillows for her mate-to-be, not something that could cause him to suffocate in bed if she rolled over while they slept. Her eyes lazily cascaded down her tone stomach to her-

The entire mindscape shook violently, causing Kyubi to loose her footing as well as causing several of the Charka pathway pipes that lined the ceiling and walls to clatter onto the ground. Kyubi looked around fearfully from her position on the floor at the pipes that fell every time a tremor tore through the mindscape a the blond; those pipes were never intended to fall from the bolted posts unless its creator was close to…

"Oh God… NO!" roared Kyubi. With a snap of her fingers she was clothed in crimson slacks and matching tank top and on her feet just as quickly.

Another tremor, three times as great, shook the very foundation of the mind, knocking what few pipes remaining on the walls off as well as thick ceiling tiles. The air began to storm through the thought corridors and tear doors of categorized memories off of their hinges and toss them about like leaves on the wind. The very mindscape was falling apart and Kyubi feared what this could mean. One of the possible out comes, one of the only out comes, was that Naruto was experiencing some severe head trauma and was dying; and if he died, well…

A crack of thunder and a flash of lightening were Kyubi's signal that her warden was on he's way, and come he did. A rift opened several meters above the entrance hallway, electricity crackling and sparking around the edges of the black hole that was the rift, and out shot Naruto, beaten, blood and unconscious. His nearly dead spectral body soared through the air and ricocheted like a stone off of a waters surface every time he made contact with the ground that was his mind. Craters formed with each ricochet and more of his body was beaten, with each bounce his speed slowed ever so slightly as his body reached its intended target: the cage of its mightiest burden.

Kyubi jumped skillfully and caught his renegade projectile of a body, but was not aware of the force that was propelling it. The overwhelming force caused her to join in on his crash course until they met the back wall of the Seal with bone crushing force. Once they had finally come to a stop Kyubi quickly did a systems check on her container, but as she placed his head in her lap to begin the overlook, she knew what was the cause. The entire back of his skull was missing… and the only thing that was keeping his skull still attached to his body was the flesh of his neck and throat. Blood, fragments of his skull, and globs of gray matter began to pool on her lap as she held him, and his crystal blues looked upon her in shocked horror.

Tears spilled from her ruby eyes for the first time in over fourteen years, only to be replaced with a cosmos imploding rage. Tiles that had begun to fall from the ceiling stopped and seemed to levitate in mid air in an all-encompassing red aura. Pipes twisted and withered on the ground like snakes until they sprang to the walls and ceiling, reattaching themselves. Her eyes began to glow with an intensity that shattered the tiles beneath them. The tides of unshed tears churned and bucked and whirled around their figures as they bended to the will of the lone the woman at the center of the vortex. Hatred consumed all and in its process it gave birth to a new mind and being.

They _dare_ _**harm**_ him! They _**dare**_ harm _**him**_! Has not this boy suffered enough and now this man thinks he can kill him, her jailer and future mate! Oh this land shall know the power of one of the figures of the Court, they shall know of her hatred that crushes mountains and churns the very sea that she was born from. They will cower before her and her brethren.

Silently her hand rose to her lips. Taking her index finger as well as her middle finger she drew them across her upper lip and bottom lip respectively. In place of the crimson lips were now pulsing emeralds, and in one swift motion their lips met; master and prisoner became as one. Tears seeped from her eyes in new droves, this day of their union was not supposed to happen until he was awake, ready and understanding, not asleep and near death. But it did its part as her purified medical Charka swept into his body and began the healing process.

Gasping for breath, she parted from her love. She looked at him one last time, combing her nails through his sunny locks. Oh, how this mere human, and a child at that, had stolen her heart and made her want to move the very universe that her Lord had made just to see him smile and hear him laugh. She had little to worry about now as she felt his flesh knit back together at the back of his skull, but now was not the time for celebrating; now was the time to rend the living and rip the dead. Her body split right there, one body with Kyubi's young mate still resting on her lap and the other standing to her full height. With a wave of her hand five strange figures appeared behind the one-time Arch-Angel, all with different cloaked forms and attributes.

"We're leaving," the Kyubi said.

One of the masked opened its mouth to protest but was silenced by the scream from the still unresponsive Naruto. All eyes whipped to the blond only to see his right arm torn from his body and lying several feet away, luckily his screams were silenced by the healing lips of Kyubi's Clone.

Kyubi's rage once again shook the mindscape, and nearly caused several of the pipelines too rupture under the strain from both her Charka output as well as her intent to kill. Her heated gaze met the eyes of the one figure that was about to protest her decision of revenge.

"**Any questions?" **Kyubi's inquiry rumbled throughout the entire plane of their existence and was answered with quick negatives, but as she turned to leave the land of dreams she heard of her brethren speak.

"So we finally get to weld some poor Fucks asshole shut and drill him a new one right between his eyes?" asked the figure as she fingered her twin custom tailored Beretta 92 FS's as they rested in their holsters on either side of her firm breasts.

Kyubi seemed to ignore her as she continued towards one of the hallway at the back of her cage, but all of the cloaked Heroines could feel her murderous grin spread like a knife wound across her delicate features, "Oh yes, Rebecca, but not just this 'poor Fuck' but all of those who dare harm my beloved mate!"

Revy silently began to chuckle as she and the other Heroines followed their sister with her hands resting behind her head, but soon the silent chuckling turned into a fit of giggles and finally exploded into out right cynical laughter. Even as she entered the hallway to the outside world her laughter that chilled the souls of men never dwindle.

XxXxX

Mizuki had not been satisfied with his victory and had commenced in the desecration of the Demon Spawns corpse; ripping the flesh from its chest and even going as far as tearing its right arm from its body. The Cat-man licked the blood from his claws and lifted his bloodstained maw to the heavens and roared into the night's sky. He hefted the removed limb in his hand as his body was bathed in n unholy moonlight, and swung the arm experimentally like a club. Iruka shivered in utter terror as a sneer made Mizuki's face glow and was unable to cry out as he was beaten with his own students severed arm. Bones began to break under the assault and consciousness was lost soon after, but still the large Cat never ceased his rampage on his incapacitated peer.

And yet the hidden ANBU looked on in distaste and rage. ANBU's were never one to let one of their own be killed before them, but the disregarding of direct orders was one thing that went above even that, so they looked on waiting for the Kage's orders to commence a counter offensive. They had watched as the young Genin-to-be had retrieved the strange artifact, and were at awe with what it was capable of. Mizuki was a fool if he thought that thing was one of the Land of Snow's Charka Armour, even though the ANBU them selves had no true idea what it was, they knew for a fact that it was not a Transformation emitter.

The Leader of the ANBU platoon reached towards his earpiece communicator that contacted him directly to the Hokage when he saw the Cat-man raise the unconscious teacher by the neck to eye level. He knew how this was going to end and the Teacher was too good of a person to have this happen to him, "Boar to Hokage, requesting _immediate_ intervention." The way that Mizuki was slowly caressing Iruka's cheek with one of his sharpened nails did not sit well with him.

Static erupted in his ear and was soon replaced with a slightly winded voice, "Denied, I'm twenty-four clicks away and will be there shortly."

Boar snorted in a very unprofessional way, "No offence Lord Hokage, but you are getting on in years and you won't make it in time." He continued to watch as Mizuki drew strange patterns and symbols across and around Iruka's face with his claws.

"_Hold your position_."

That one statement held enough intent to kill that every one of the members of the ANBU platoon shivered violently. But what happened in the next ten minutes made every one of the ANBU quit their Ninja career indefinitely.

XxXxX

Iruka had just regained consciousness when Mizuki began to defile his face with his claws as his face held a child-like morbidness as the skin peeled and the blood flowed. He was currently beginning held in the air by his throat and the edges of his vision were already starting to fade, never a good sign indeed. He knew he was going to die, he knew that the moment Mizuki had revealed the information on the Kyubi, either by the stronger-then-average-Chunnin or by a grief enraged Naruto, and he had strangely enough come to terms with it. But as his broken arm reached towards his students dying form he wished he hadn't. His brother would never know how much he loved and cared for him. With a brief and choked "Otouto…" his suffering was ended as Mizuki grew bored with his plaything and snapped his neck with a twist of his wrist.

He tossed his now broken toy to the side and began to swing Naruto's severed arm a few more times. He failed to notice the muscles in the arm tensing and the fingers twitching and when he finally finished his impromptu batting practice the arm coiled and its closed fist struck him hard, directly on the nose. Mizuki howled in pain and threw the arm away from him only for it to be caught by some invisible wind and brought back to its original body…that was now standing on its own, head bowed and an evil aura of blood lust and sorrow surrounding it. The arm connected with the body and twisted several times as it screwed itself back into its socket; and yet the eyes of the Jinchuriki never left the ground.

But once Naruto's head elevated to the point that it could see Iruka's dead body the temperature dropped thirty degrees and the aura of evil multiplied into an all-consuming hurricane of hate, rage, sorrow, insanity, and detachment.

"**You hurt my Kit. You hurt my Kit. You hurt my Naru-Kun. You hurt my Naru-kun." **With each repeated phrase the intensity grew until it was howled to the heavens. The earth cracked, the trees were uprooted, thunder crackled across the sky and serpents of lightning danced, the wind whipped around the forest like angry bees; yet the aura never waned, only growing.

With a wave of the teens hand Mizuki was surrounded by five Kyubi influenced Naruto's, each one with the watch portrayed in a different manner; blocking half of his face, centered over his heart, and several other positions. Finally the eyes of the blond met the eyes of the Cat-man as he raised his downcast head, but they were no the eyes of the blond child that had entered the forest…they were of the eyes that had seen the creation of time itself and of all the pain the blond felt throughout his life. They were the eyes that were boring a hole right through the once fearsome Cat-man; the crimson red orbs of he Kyubi.

When the Kyubi-fied Naruto finally spoke it seemed that the world ended, **"You have been found guilty of both attacking my Naru-Kun, attacking a Hero, and this boys Older Brother. Your punishment is your life."** With a nod of its head the other Naruto's were engulfed in a blazing orange light and were replaced with a new appearance. The strange thing of all was that each of the new 'Heroes' were actually 'Heroines'.

The first one that Mizuki took notice of was the one that he wanted to make his. She wore what looked like jeans, but what captured his true 'attention' was that the jeans were cut so short that the looked more like bikini bottoms. For a shirt she wore a small black sleeveless tank top that showed off her well-toned stomach and midsection, and accented her well proportion breast. Swirling around and down her right shoulder was some type of tribal tattoo that consisted of several crescent and wave like pattern. Strangely enough this girl also wore heavy-duty combat boots and her chestnut hair in a loose ponytail. What Mizuki did not take notice of were the two silver objects that were place on the outside of both breasts.

The second girl that he noticed was a girl that wore a civilian style sailor schoolgirl outfit and navy blue well kept hair. It was a normal blue and white outfit with a skirt that came just a few centimeters above her knees. Across her nose was a scar that was eerily similar to the one that Iruka had across his nose, but her eyes held none of the same warmth that his did; they held a cold granite feel that told him that if she had a chance she would kill him and revel in the blood that would pour form his wounds.

The third girl was also very attractive. She seemed to wear a botched up school uniform as well but what accented it the most were her light purple and dark purple striped leggings and, when the wind blew correctly, panties. Another thing that seemed to define her person was the sucker she held in her mouth as well as her whiter, slightly bulky, sweater that was slipped off of her shoulders and thick black bra straps. Her hair was that of majestically purple icicles that draped around her face and covered one of her eyes.

The fourth girl could be considered an Amazonian warrior considering her height. She stood at an impressive one hundred eighty-five centimeters and her hair was shortly cropped and if one was to look at her for only a brief instant, they would think that this intimidating woman was actually a man. Her clothes were those of a normal woman's, slacks, long sleeve shirt, and sandals, but what was odd was that in her left hand was a large silver briefcase.

The fifth and final woman was more of a darker complexion then any of the rest. Her golden hair was reminiscent of that of a cheerleader's pom-pom and her dress was that of a martial artist. Even though her outfit was rather revealing and her form was small, the way her muscles coiled under her arms like vipers was the only sure sign that she was a fighter.

Each one of the girls surrounded Mizuki and it seemed that each one was rather angry, but that was fine with the feral man… he always liked it rough.

The Kyubi enhanced Naruto raised its newly reattached arm and point his finger at the killer Cat like some ruler of old and ordered, **"Now let me show what this watch is truly capable of!"**

Sadistic smirks formed as the girls began to circle their prey, they no longer were the angels they once were; they had become devils. Tension mounted as some type of power surged forth from the She-Devils and the atmosphere swirled, crackled, churned, and compressed, making it hard to breath. One by one the girls revealed how they had come by the name of Heroin.

The first girl, the brunette, delicately unsheathed her two silver Cutlasses and pulled the slide of each pistol by placing the un-cocked slide between her teeth and pulling harshly.

The second, navy blue haired, girl pulled our of her skirts pocket a hexagon shaped piece of metal with the Roman numeral XLIV inscribed on its front. She brought it before her and whispered, "Buso Renkin." Once those innocent words past her lips the hexagon erupted into mechanical parts and reconstructed themselves around her upper thighs, forming four sentient death scythes; the Valkyrie Skirt was its name.

The third girl, in her white sweatshirt raised her hands like those of a surgeon as they walked into the operating room, allowing her sleeves to slide down to her elbows. Once her hands were revealed her hands twitched and were soon covered in majestic rich blue ice like claws.

The fourth Amazonian girl released the locks on her briefcase and from it flowed countless numbers of…paper? Yes paper and like some kind o puppet master, with a flick of her wrist, from her paper formed some type of wolf as well as a tall golem.

The fifth and final girl did nothing special, or could be considered special. All she did was clench her fists and bend her knees in anticipation.

Around and around then went, how they killed, it was anyone's bet.

XxXxX

The once still form of Uzumaki Naruto began to stir from its position on the Kyubi Clones lap, much to her disappointment. She had enjoyed her time in Naruto's presence greatly and was oh so reluctant to let it end… she was half tempted to knock him back out just to keep him in her lap and loving hands. To her, his hair was of the finest silk that could ever be created by the Lord above and his slightly tanned skin was of the smoothest and most relaxing texture that had ever graced her hand.

But as the information of the outside world filtered through her mind, as his body began to fade like an illusion on the wind, she knew that he needed to wake up; no matter how much the real world was going to hurt, he needed to know. With one last second to spare, Kyubi bent her head and kissed him, her mate, one last time, putting as much love into as she could. And as he finally vanished she wept with the tears of his sorrow that he would never shed before vanishing herself.

XxXxX

Naruto's eyes snapped open when the smell of smoke, blood, and gunpowder. As his eyes adjusted to the lack of light he was assaulted with a vision from his worst nightmares. Trees were utterly destroyed, paper lay every where as well as chucks of ice; landscapes were reformed like God himself and come down from his throne and reshaped it, and Mizuki…Mizuki…The one time man was littered through out the clearing, no piece was bigger than the mans head; which had its mouth open in a silent scream and its eyes wide in horror with a coin sized hole between his eyes.

But this did not matter to the blond all that mattered was-

"IRUKA-SENSEI!!"

There, not more than three meters away was the cold form of the once proud teacher of the Hidden Leaf Village Ninja academy. His eyes were half lidded and his hand was still grasping at the blond that rushed to his side. Desperately, Naruto sought the pulse that would never start, and forever he cried out his name never for him to answer. He frantically tried to push the bones in his young teachers neck back into place but they never moved; why wouldn't they move?! NO matter how hard he pushed on his chest, why wouldn't his heart restart?! Why, _why_, _**WHY**_?!

"Naruto-San," Naruto's eyes whipped towards the four-manned ANBU squad that now stood before him. Each member's shoulders were slumped in sorrow and most of the members no longer wore their mandatory masks, revealing tear stained cheeks and pale skin. The supposed leader of the squad walked towards Naruto and kneeled before the heart-broken teen, placing his hand on Naruto's shaking shoulder.

"I'm sorry…but he's-"

"NO, DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT!" the earth shook and the sky split. "DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT!"

The ANBU's hand tightened and tears flowed form his eyes, he himself did not want to believe this heresy but- "-he's dead, Naruto…" with that said he quietly moved his hand until his fingers were draped over Iruka's eyes and in one swift motion closed Naruto's mentor's eyes.

As the realization of his mentor's death, both in images that he could not explain as well as gut instinct took hold. Violent shaking started to take hold of his body as all of his chaotic emotions stormed rampantly through his mind and body.

"**Let it out Kit,"** arms seemed to drape around him from behind, circling his neck lovingly; one hand caressed his cheek with slow caring circles, while the other began to pet his chest. Naruto didn't even stiffen for he knew who was the cause of such a sensation, he had seen the fight, felt her resolve, and heard her unspoken words. He leaned into her loving caresses and embraced her warmth. **"Let it out Kit."**

In one fluid motion Uzumaki Naruto roared to the Heavens his sorrow and to Hell his resolve. Yet still no tears fell. **"That's right Kit, let it out…let it all out…"**

XxXxX

The Hokage quickened his pace through the forest the moment a bestial roar tore the sky; could the Beast have possibly been released from his prison? Dear God, he hoped not. As the clearing came into view, Sarutobi was startled to see his hand picked ANBU squad leaving the clearing with not one of them wearing their designated masks. Once the Hokage touched the ground in his battle worn scandals the ANBU viewed him with haunting eyes, eyes that had seen Hell. Boar, the Leader of the squad came forth, his steps heavy and his posture saddened, until he was eye to eye with the aged Shadow.

"Boar what is the-"

"Our resignation shall be companioning our mission report," with that Boar unclipped his Boar mask from his belt and threw it at his leaders feet. A Goat mask, a Bull mask, and a Ram mask followed this; each of their owners had a look of distaste and spite on their faces directed towards their commanding officer.

"Now wait just a min-"

"With all do respect Lord Hokage," the long brown curly haired man that once wore the Ram mask started, "Fuck You!"

With that said the entirety of the ANBU squad left, but not before each of the members nodded at the statement from the Ram masked man. By this time Sarutobi was both seething in rage as well as utterly confused. What could have possibly happened to cause such an outburst and declaration? Suddenly reality crashed down around his ears and he remembered why he had come in the first place.

Rushing into the clearing he had half expected to find a dead Naruto, but the carnage that met his old eyes nearly made him empty his stomach content onto the ground. What had taken place here was not a battle but a massacre. Pieces of flesh were tacked to trees either by paper or ice shards. Blood painted the ground and grass, the trees and the rocks. Small coin shaped holes dotted everywhere and claw like gashes were carved into the earth and foliage. This was not even a massacre when the Third Hokage saw reminisce of the one time traitor of the Hidden Leaf Village; this was an apocalyptic _genocide_.

His eyes swept the clearing several times, taking in each and every piece of brutal evidence, until finally he focused on the reason for his 'outside stroll'. The boy seemed to have fallen asleep hunched over and the Grandfather aspect of Sarutobi's psyche kick in and marveled at how the young boy fell asleep after such an eventful day. Instantly though that side of his mind was crushed when he focused on the blood that covered his entire being. Gingerly he advanced upon the blond and once saw the reason of the boys hunched posture he understood Ram's outburst, and understood why his soul should be damned to Hell for all eternity.

"_Fuck You!"_

That phrase echoed through his mind over and over again. Had his truly dulled that much over the span of his life, that he would forego the signs dictating ones death and allow it to happen? Had his mind been dulled that much do to the peace he dictated over, that he would let murders within his own solders ranks and not see the warning signs of said murders? He had seen Mizuki's mentality report from the medical official, but his own soft heart had concluded that the man should be given a chance; he _knew_ of Mizuki's near fanaticism on revenge after his only family, his older brother, was killed do to the Kyubi's attack, yet he had smiled and hoped that he would get over his mind set.

Hope.

That is what had caused all of Naruto's suffering. Hope that the civilians and several Shinobi would see the error of their ways and forgive the boy of his burden. He was to blame for this, wasn't he? It was his hope that the traitor would give up peacefully and not harm anyone…he had indeed become dull in his old age.

The whimpering intensified but all the elder man could do was pull the brim of his hat over his eyes in disgust, in hopes to block out the image of those wide frantic eyes. He was disgusted with himself. Slowly he turned and left the battle ridden clearing, he could not face the suffering boy for he was the reason for his suffering. He could never face him again. How could one, after he had damned his life to be as this?

Several thoughts raced through his head: 'I'm getting to old for this Shit', 'Tomorrow is going to be Hell', 'What could cause four hardened ANBU members to quit just like that?', and 'Will the boy ever forgive me?'.

A roar of pain and sorrow once again pierced the sky like a dragon's fang, and suddenly the night felt bone chillingly cold and Hellishly dark.

XxXxX

"**Shh, shh… I'm here my Love. No one will ever harm you again, and you'll never be lonely… I promise you that…I promise…"**

XxXxX End XxXxX

So what did you think? For the record some of this was written about 5 months ago and some was written in the span of two weeks ago, so I'm sorry if some of it does add up.

Please the usual my dear barbers: review and tell me what you think. And please _tell_ me what you think, and not some "it was good"…what was good?

The next order of business: I have a slight challenge for you ladies (I hope) and germs; please list (as in names and series) the 5 Heroines and send it in a PM to me and you will be publicly announced and may get either a sneak peek on the next chapter or a new story from me.

Finally, on my Author page I have some of my thoughts on the world that we live in and I would like your input on them. If they're good, I will place your thoughts on my Author page.

Oh…and one last thing, my friend at school as mentioned something that's so positively fun! An uber joint story by MULTIPLE authors similar to the stories that your English teacher had you write and pass around the class letting people adding to them. What do you think of this idea/ remember this is just an idea and my friends and I will iron out the idea put tell me what you think in a PM.

TTNF and Moo

Evilsheeplordthatsaysmoo


	2. Second Fist

Moo

Hello my Fellow Reads, Writers, and overall people that are slightly Pitiful!!!

This is the second installment for "Ten Thousand Fists" (Disclaimer: I do not own this title, it belongs to 'Disturbed') and in order to pacify all that might be angry because of my absence, I have made this chapter over 15000+ words long! It does an authors heart some good to know that people enjoy his work T.T XD.

**Important Notice:**

A close friend of mine, Warper, has created a 'church' on his forum. It is the 'The Manga Anime Church of Nerds and Geeks United', so please go to his forum and enlist in the 'church' under Pope Namikaze Naruto II.

Important Notice

Also, a large CONGRATULATIONS to Gorgas for he is the ONLY one that got all five of the girls from last chapter Correct! Some of you thought that it was Rebecca from Resident Evil as the first girl…NO SOUP FOR YOU!!! As you were wrong… The Girls were:

Heroine 1: Revy from Black Lagoon  
Heroine 2: Tokiko Tsumura from Buso Renkin  
Heroine 3: Mizore Shirayuki from Rosario + Vampire  
Heroine 4: Maggie Mui from Read or Die TV/Read or Dream  
Heroine 5: Ku Fei from Negima

ESLTSM: So give him a hand (hears no clapping)

ESLTSM: … CLAP FOR ALASKA!!! (sudden clapping commences)

ESLTSM: that's better…

Anyway please enjoy my child, and if any of you speak badly of my little girl…just hope that the sheep are not hungry…

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing but snow and ice covered sheep…poor things…

XxXxX Second Fist XxXxX

Laughter and merriment could be heard from the one time prison of young aspiring Shinobi to be. Outside of the widows, within the tall trees that offered their shade to day dreamers of the class, birds sang and played, bouncing from one branch to another and fluttering away whenever someone caused too much ruckus in the classroom. Within the class, children, no, young adults joked and jested, swapping stories of the prior night's events, proclaiming their future goals, and talking with great intensity overall. Many of the families held large celebrations due to their child's new employment and wished them good luck by way of congratulations and presents, or, in some families, by way of weapons and new techniques. All within the room cheered of their newfound freedom and place in society. Now they would be taken seriously since they, quite literally, had a license to kill. New doors opened for them, they would make sure that they entered every one of them, tasting their fruits and sampling their wines.

Yes, the children now spit upon their last stronghold of innocence, laughing at in its face by saying words such as, "We're adults now, no, we're Ninja, _superhuman_, nothing can hurt us." and, "Nothing will hinder our goals and shatter our dreams, for now the skies the limit and we will push beyond it."

Some children did not celebrate, or rather, one young woman did not celebrate becoming a Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village. Hyuga Hinata sat in her soon to be old desk at the head of the class like always. Her posture was slightly slumped and her shoulders hung low, her face drooped towards her desk and her eyes heavy. The reason for her downtrodden and cloudy demeanor was currently not in the classroom, nor would he ever be in the same classroom with her again. Sure it was strange for a girl such as Hyuga Hinata, Heiress of the prestigious Hyuga clan and wielder of the feared Byakugan, to be worried about someone such as him. In all honesty he was a nobody, no matter how much he proclaimed that he was going to be something of great importance later on. With a record of failing a simple exam three years in a row, no one could take him seriously, and with him claiming that he would become the strongest of them all and reach the title of Hokage, the strongest Ninja in Konoha, it was hard not to laugh at him. So why should she be concerned about him at all? Because…because… Because no matter what happened in his life, no matter what horrors befell his person, he always stood on his own to feet and asked for more, to show all that he was never beaten.

Uzumaki Naruto was truly one of a kind.

Her musing was cut short when the sliding door to enter the classroom slid open and a very solemn looking Hokage entered, his face haggard and eyes reddened with unrest. This was truly a surprise to all of the newly graduated Genin, many of them had at one point in time met with the Hokage but those times were _far_ and _few_ between. So to have him stand before them all, hands clasped firmly behind his back, was truly an honor. Many of the more excited children began to whisper back and forth at the legends presence, their respect forgotten for the moment, while others stayed in silent awe at the aura of power that lingered off his aged figure.

But one thing had been bothering Hinata since the start of 'class'. Actually it was two things, but the other one pertained to late last night. The first was that Iruka was not currently in the classroom congratulating the new graduates, he was usually a stickler for punctuation and for him to be late was every uncommon. The man seemed to have a natural defense against all bacteria and viruses seeing as he never became ill, and he always made sure that his teacher meetings never ran over, as he was the head of the teaching faculty due to his seniority. So what could possibly cause Iruka to be late on such an occasion? The only thing that came to Hinata's mind was something that was life threatening, but she did not worry for like her Naruto, Iruka was also very resilient.

She blushed hotly at the mental realization of claiming Naruto as her own. Sure her crush ran pretty deep, but to claim him, surely that was going to far; they still had to talk to one another with out her fainting, then the courting of her to him, followed closely by being discovered by her father and Naruto whisking her away to his grand estate, after that it was the engagement, marriage, and finally…the wedding night. Oh, shivers of anticipation ran up down her spine, the world of reality long forgotten, as she thought of his smiling face as he gazed up at her from his chained position on the soft mattress… she nearly passed out if it wasn't for the thought of her second bother.

She quickly recomposed herself and crossed her legs tightly with the utmost ladylike manner. The second thing that had caused her to worry was the beast like roar that had pierced the nightscape of many hours ago. She had stayed awake due to her mind being assaulted by a brief case of depression. Nowadays the fits grew worse and worse and many nights were spent staring up into the either moon filled or star filled night's sky; last night was focused around Naruto, many of the nights were. Thoughts of how her chances to confront him had spiraled away from her and from there on, her thoughts went from mere shame, to self loathing, to mental mutilation. But when the cry of sorrow from some kind of creature cut through the calm night air, it caused her mind to restart and the knife to fall from her grasp. The moon was full that night and as she stared up at its fullness and soft glow, she wondered what could cause such a noise to be birthed into the world. What incident of sadness and grief could cause such a being to wail and scream in such a sense?

The Elder Hokage soon interrupted her from her mental debate; "I would like to congratulate you on your graduation. The life of a Ninja is not an easy one, nor does it wait for you so if you all would quiet down I will read off the three manned teams that you will be assigned to…"

Many of the children were slightly confused as to why the speech was so short, most had been expecting the speech to be longer so that way they would be able to gloat in the thought of out doing some of the failing students that were not present, mostly a certain Uzumaki child. Surprisingly only a few of the students caught the line about the Shinobi life style not waiting for you while the others thought nothing of it, cheering every now and then when as their names were called and their partners came to light.

Finally the weary man came upon the one team he had been dreading to mention: Team Seven. Deep down he knew it was the right decision seeing as how the young man had defeated an 'A'-ranked criminal turned 'S'-rank half way through the battle, but his human side tended to differ greatly from his Shinobi side.

"Team Seven shall consist of: Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke," he paused for a brief moment to let the young girl get her squeals out and to proclaim something about true love before continuing onto the last name of the squad, his heart heavy and his shoulders slumped, "and… Uzumaki Naruto your Sensei sha-"

"What do you mean that loser graduated!? He failed, we all saw it!" cried out one of the Shinobi in training.

Once that was said, once that one sentence left the child's mouth, the flood gates of Hell itself seemed to break open wide and the Devils that were man's true selves spewed forth.

"Yeah," screamed out another, "how come he gets to graduate, huh? That dead last doesn't deserve to graduate! My mother says that that…thing, shouldn't even be allowed to live!" More children cheered on this piece of evidence, sending back and forth curses and damnations about the boy that their parents had planted into the minds in their early years.

One person thought differently though, and within her mind, she cheered with a voice that would some day see the light of day. Hinata's eyes held unshed tears with hands clasped firmly under her breasts. He was a Ninja. He finally became a Ninja! Oh how proud she was of him; now he could complete his dream, now he could show everyone how great he was and how kind he was. She couldn't wait to congratulate him on his achievement, oh how she couldn't wait to celebrate his new occupation over a bowl of ramen. Oh how she couldn't wait, she just couldn't wait. But then the cries of distain and the screams of death touched her delicate ears.

How could these children talk about this man like they do? How could they laugh with him when his jests amuse them and then condemn his soul with their scornful words the moment he was gone? What had this boy done to these children to anger them so? No…it was the children's parents that were at fault, not the children. But then…what could cause such hatred? What could cause such an accusation such as the title 'Demon' to be pinned to his very person like a golden star on ones clothing? What could… what could…

The screams and the accusations were suddenly forced down the throats of those who spoke them as a weight of a thousand men fell upon them. All turned their shaking eyes and quivering lips towards the cause of such a force, the Hokage. The once docile old man had vanished only to replaced with a Titan, a being above that of the God's of old. His eyes pierced their minds, searing their memories like coals from a blacksmiths forge. His lips were not but a thin knife cut, and his eyebrows were knit dangerously low on his brow. Several of the children began to shake violently and could have sworn the temperature plummeted once his blazing gaze fell upon them. His hands dropped from their position behind his back and everyone flinched, thinking that the ax was to drop upon their unprotected necks. His aged lips parted slowly, and some would swear to this very day that a fine wisp of smoke trailed forth and into the ventilator system, wisps of smoke like from the maw of a terrible dragon or great beast of calamity.

"You. Will. Be. Silent." His voice made everyone quake in their seats and beg for their lives. His slow strides towards the first row of desks made every being fear the worst. "From this point forward you will not speak unless spoken too, eat unless told too, and jump when I say 'jump'. My orders are law," his palm made contact with the desk before him and turned the poor construct of wood into dust, showering the screaming child that sat at it. His scream was soon silenced by the hand of their leader and his body was hoisted into the air to the point were his feet dangled many inches from the floor. "And one thing that I do NOT tolerate are those that leave their comrades to die or speak badly of them." He tossed the boy into the seat to his left, causing the young girl in it to topple over in her chair. He stood before them all and his voice never wavered, "The decision to pass Uzumaki Naruto was my decision; not Iruka's, mine." His voice thundered across the room and cracked across their backs like a leather whip, "If you have a problem with me taking a quite _capable_ Ninja under my authority, please speak now."

No one spoke, no one moved, no one breathed. Death stood before them and it dared them to oppose his being. Seconds turned into minutes and the minutes stretched into an eternity, yet no one spoke a single word. His hawk like gaze glided over every face, caressed every sense, and slithered over every eye, looking, _hunting_ for one that would try his patients and step on his twitching tail. "Team Seven's Sensei shall be Hatake Kakashi. Team Eight…" The rest of the teams were announced and the Sensei's proclaimed, then all grew silent. Every child looked at one another, wondering what type of lions den they had crept into during their quest for candy.

Yet Sarutobi's voice cut the air one more time, startling the children and making them jump, "There is one more piece of business I would like to address." Once again the wise elder of a Hokage stood before them, old and weary, "You have most likely noticed by now that Iruka has not come to class yet," everyone nodded their heads vigorously, "This is do to an incident that occurred last night. Iruka took part in a hunt for a traitor of the Leaf Village." Many gasps resounded through the room. "Iruka confronted the traitor and fought him, unfortunately… he was killed in a last ditch technique from the dying traitor," more gasps were heard and several choked sobs soon followed.

Iruka had become like an older sibling to most of his students and the news of his death caused several to mourn for his passing. "You will not meet your teams this day, as planned, but meet them tomorrow. For this afternoon at two o'clock, the funeral of Umino Iruka will be held at the top of the Hokage Tower. Until then, go home and prepare. This funeral is mandatory for those of you thinking of not attending."

His eyes once again swept over the room, peering through every soul, judging every character. With one final glance he turned on his heel and exited the classroom, with the Genin following several minutes later, wondering where their times of learning and security had gone.

XxXxX Atop the Hokage Tower XxXxX

The steps that led up to the roof of the Hokage Tower were steep and tedious. The funeral had become mandatory for every enlisted Shinobi, and they all came to attend, dressed in black, emotionless and weary. Step-by-step, they walked up the stairs to the roof. Step-by-step they thought of his smiling face and his kind demeanor, and step-by-step they mourned silently.

Hinata was dressed in a black blouse and skirt, like every other female that attended, and even though her thoughts were on the boisterous teacher, her thoughts soon drifted to another boisterous individual. Surely he would attend the funeral? Surely he would mourn the loose of his mentor and brother?

Her eyes gave her a wonderful ability, she mused as she scaled the last of the stairs with several of the other mourner. They gave her the ability to see the emotions that flowed through others like water over stones. They gave her the insight into what others were 'thinking' at that time and she knew how close Naruto was to Iruka. She knew how much they cared for one another, brothers in arms, and she knew that he would come…wouldn't he?

Light blinded her eyes she broke over the stairs and now stood on the roof of the Hokage Tower. What caught her attention first was that the funeral was an open casket, something that was very rare. Funerals were usually conducted with a memorial style to it, a table with a picture of the deceased and a few objects that defined their person. But to have an open casket funeral, it was indeed rare. Suddenly a flash of blond in the sunlight stole her attention away from the funeral décor and caused her to gasp. Directly in front of the coffin, directly before the serine face of the scarred mentor, brother, and friend stood Naruto.

His clothes were also black, mourning the loss of the man sleeping in front of him, but his emotions were a tidal wave of chaos and Hinata had to stop herself from crying out on his behalf. He had all but broken his soul into pitiful shambles, ripped and torn beyond repair. No longer were his shoulders aloft with pride and joy, but were held rigidly and articulately. He resembled a broken toy, a shattered puppet that no longer wished to dance or sing. Her feet carried her over to his side without even thinking, they moved quickly on the borderline of sprinting. No, this should not be happening to a person like him, he should never break like this. No, tears all but pooled within her eyes, this shouldn't happen.

"Na-Naruto-kun?" her voice was shaky, cracked and brittle.

He did not turn his head from the coffin before him; in fact, he did not even seem to notice her very existence or presence. He just stood there like a man of stone, quiet and unmoving. Her hand reached out to touch his arm and found it to be cold to the touch, to the point of feeling like the flesh of a dead man. Still he did not turn from his position. Finally, Hinata moved, she walked before him since he would not look upon her and was startled by the sight that she did see. He was all but dead. His eyes held no shimmer of hope or joy, his lips no longer curled back in a boisterous smile. His soul had all but been crushed and she had no clue as to why.

Eyes finally met and she saw how truly he was hurt, how battered and weary he really was. She saw how small bags hung from his eyes, how his lips were dried and cracked, and how periodically shivers and shakes ran across his body like hideous spiders. She want to hold him and tell him all was well, she wanted to kiss him and whisper that nothing would hurt him, she wanted to do so much to ease his pain…but all she could do was stare into his cold glacier eyes and curse her own shyness and insecurity. She also felt pity and was ashamed of herself for feeling it for she knew that Naruto would not want it.

Hinata then noticed that the rest of the mourners had filed in, taking their places in ten rows of ten long near the center, the left, and the right of the coffin. But it did not matter to Naruto, nothing mattered anymore, all was irrelevant. Silence reined over everyone as Naruto continued to stare at the coffin that held his surrogate brother and Hinata soon took her place at his side, waiting for the proceedings to begin. The 'clacking' of the elder Hokage's scandals told the attendees that the funeral was about to begin, and once he stood before the mourners and the coffin he began.

As the funeral went on Hinata noticed that Naruto's quakes and shakes grew, and the look in his eyes grew more and more animalistic. His breath became shorter and more labored, as if he was reliving some kind of horrible and terrible nightmare turned living Hell. His lip curled back, and at that moment Hinata knew what was causing this slight transformation to befall his form; the Hokage began to recollect on the events that led up to Iruka's death.

The shaking continued, worse and worse, and Naruto began to growl softly. Hinata had to do something to quell his nerves, to pacify his mind, and time was running short. Slowly her hand reached towards his shaking fist; gently her shivering fingers caressed the outside of his hand. Taking a deep breath and praying for the best she grasped his quaking fist within her small and quiet palm.

Instantly his hand opened and latched onto her hand, grasping it in a grip of desperation by intertwining their fingers, keeping her from escaping. She as startled at first when his hand encompassed hers, gasping slightly and blushing greatly, but she soon felt the need for human contact that screamed from their slight embrace. She sighed gently and caressed her thumb in slow circles on the back of his hand, this was the first time she had come this close to Naruto and truthfully, she wished it could have been under different circumstances, not when he was on the verge of a mental and emotional collapse. His shaking had died down for the moment, but tremors still coursed through his body every now and again.

Taking a look at the distraught blond with her peripheral vision she saw something she thought she would never see, tears accumulating in the corners of his eyes. Her heart reached out to the battered man beside her and she wished dearly that she could do more to help ease his pain.

The 'clacking' of the Hokage's battle worn scandals met her ears and she refocused her eyes on the coffin before her as the Hokage made his way the left of the 'stage', signaling the mourners to line single-filed to give their last respects to the dead. Each person would be given approximately thirty seconds to say their part, then the next in line would say theirs, and so on and so forth. With Hinata and Naruto situated in the direct center of the first row of the middle gathered mourners, their time to pay their respects would come shortly.

The far right began, and soon the first row of the right block was complete with their respects, yet their steps still remained heavy and sorrowful. Slowly the first row in the center block began to trickle towards the coffin, each member bowing their heads and whispering a silent pray in honor of Iruka. Finally it came for Naruto to stand before the coffin.

All eyes migrated towards him and many waited with baited breaths, waiting to see what the child would do. Most knew of the strange relationship between the two and most were shocked in seeing the blondes face so neutral and grim. Longer they waited for him to move, yet he still stood to the far right of the coffin, Hinata's held tightly within his own. Many began to think that the boy would not say anything, that he would remain silent and ignore the dead man just meters away from him. Had his affection for the middle-aged Academy teacher been a farce, a lie? Many that waited began to think this.

Hinata was getting nervous, Naruto still held her hand like a lifeline, much to her joy, but the moment his turn came to pay respect to Iruka he froze. The shaking had once again returned in force and sweat began to poor from his body. He didn't what to admit that he was dead, she concluded with a sad smile. She herself had done the same thing when her mother past on after several months of intensive care due to Hanabi's stressful birth. Her father had harshly forced her to attend the funeral as well as stand before her open coffin. This one incident had contributed greatly to her subdued and meek demeanor, and still affected her periodically to this day.

So she gently leaned forwards towards the quaking blonde's ear. Her voice was quiet and calm as she spoke to him, "Are you ok?" His sudden intake of breath told her that he heard her and had reminded him that she was still in close proximity to him. Slowly his head began to shake and he showed for the first time that not all was well within his happy and joy filled world. She saw the tears as they threatened to spill like the drips off of a melting ice cube. "Do you wan-want me to g-go with yo-you?" she nearly cursed openly when she heard her stutter return to her voice but she held firmly to both her resolve as well as his hand. Seconds past and what felt like an eternity his head bobbed up and then down only once. With a shaky nod of her own she led a shivering Naruto towards the open door of the coffin.

With each step, his grip on Hinata's increased to the point that it was becoming painful, but Hinata paid no mind to the slight discomfort. He needed to confront this tragedy head on, no matter how painful it may be. They now stood before the coffin, Iruka's calm, peaceful expression facing towards the clear sky; his eyes were shut giving them the impression that he truly was sleeping. Hinata smiled down at their one time instructor and prayed for his soul to find rest. Once done, she turned to Naruto, only to find him defiantly looking to his left, away from the opened box. Tears began to pool in the corners of his eyes and Hinata moved to the side to allow him his privacy with his deceased brother.

Finally Naruto turned his eyes to the sleeping form of his brother and mentor. His pride still held strong and the tears did not spill forth, no matter how badly he wanted the dam to burst. But once Hinata placed her hand on his back in a soothing gesture, the dam burst and the tears flowed freely. Choked sobs tore at his throat and quakes of pure agonizing sorrow racked his body until he had to use the coffin as a crutch to support his unresponsive form. He really was gone wasn't he? He really sacrificed his life of happiness for the diseased existence of this leper?

Silken arms enveloped him like in the forest, Kyubi was mourning with him, but soon another pair accompanied them, this pair circled his waist and held him lightly, "It's ok to mourn for one that you loved with all your heart," Hinata, surprisingly whispered. Kyubi stayed silent but Naruto knew that her words would have mimicked those uttered by the young woman holding onto him.

Hinata was currently fighting the most aggressive blush that had attacked her face to date. Everything from the point of seeing Naruto in such a chaotic state had been on a maternal instinct, she couldn't stop doing the things that already occurred even if she wanted to, which she didn't.

The shaking of his body gradually died down and soon humming could be heard coming from the still crying blond. The notes were something that Hinata was not familiar with but soon words, few in numbers, joined the notes hummed:

**Nah, Nah, Nahhhh, Na. **

**Nah, Nah, Nahhhh, Na.**

Hey, Hey, Hey…Good-Bye…

XxXxX At Ichiraku's Ramen Bar XxXxX

"Th-th-thank you for ta-taking me to Ichiraku's, Nar-Naruto-kun," Hinata stuttered out as both Naruto and Hinata sat before a steaming bow of the days special.

Once the impromptu song was done Naruto all but dragged Hinata away from the funeral and to Ichiraku's for some well needed ramen. It was common knowledge, to at least Hinata, that ramen was Naruto's comfort food and that he could be found at the small stand whenever he needed time to think. So Hinata was all but on the verge of a mental overload due to the fact that she was now eating a late lunch with her secret crush. Unfortunately her maternal instinct high had fizzled down, so staying upright in the stool as well as conscious was becoming tedious.

"You're welcome Hinata," he replied quietly. Seconds passed in silence until the sound of chopsticks snapping in half foretold the death of another pair of the eating utensils. Naruto soon threw them in the growing pile of dead wood that sat at his left, now ranging in ten dead and shattered pairs.

This was happening quite often since they arrived at the small stand, every few minutes another pair would meet its end and find itself in the pile of the discarded. Hinata was slowly become more and more worried once the pile reached double digits, if only she knew what horrors passed before his eyes.

Once entering Ichiraku's, Naruto started to experience events from the night before in brief glimpse. One moment he would be eating a mouthful of noodles, and the next he would be hearing the insane laughter of the gun wielding brunette as well as hearing the cracks as the gun fired, causing he to stiffen or even jump anytime a pan was dropped or a loud noise pierced the air. Or he would hear the roar of the scythe wielder scream "I will splatter your guts" soon followed by images of just that, the splattered guts of Mizuki turned Cat-man.

"Hinata," he asked suddenly, causing her to stop her noodle filled chopsticks half way from her mouth. "How did…how did the Hokage say Iruka died?" his voice was small and quiet, acting as if he did not yet know.

Hinata gently placed her chopsticks down and looked towards him as he stared into his first bowl of half eaten ramen. He was so…docile and older, not the exuberant firework that usually sat in that stool, dubbed the "Foxes Throne" after Naruto's clever nature, and Hinata was finding herself more…enthralled with this new Naruto. He held himself differently and the best way she could described it was that he understood the world better, and would no longer bow to it or smile and laugh at its cruel jokes. But part of her still wished to see that enormous smile of his and to hear his cloud chasing laugh. She sighed gently and whispered her response, "Hokage-sama told us that Iruka death was the result of a last ditch technique by an already dying traitor…"

'_Snap'_

Another chopstick found its way into the graveyard of wood as images of shattered bones protruding from torn flesh paraded in his mind as the Chinese dressed girl broke Mizuki's arms with her fists. "So that's how he died…" His eyes narrowed slightly as a presence entered the stand and took its place next to Naruto and his morgue of chopsticks.

Teuchi, the stands owner and head chef, could sense his lead customers discomfort and turned his head from the deep fryer to take the new occupants order and send him on his way as soon as possible. Naruto was dear to his heart, a son he never had but always wanted, so his comfort came first, even if it meant kicking a paying customer out of the stand in order to insure it. But the sight before him startled him more than he thought it would. "May I take your order, Hokage-sama?"

Hinata gasped and almost inhaled her noodles too quickly. The Hokage was here? Why?

"Hinata-chan," his kind, yet slightly raspy voice interrupted her, "would you mind if Naruto and I had a private chat?"

All inside of her screamed at her to not leave, but the speech at the Academy reminded her what would happen to her if she disobeyed. Strangely enough, some peculiar image appeared in her mind: a smaller version of herself with the words "Inner-personality" written on her forehead that was viscously kicking a stuffed doll with the name 'Sarutobi' crudely stitched onto its crest. But she paid the mental image no mind; instead she bolted from her stool, bowed honorably to the Hokage and made her way out of the stand while sending backwards glances to the stiffed Naruto.

"Hinata-chan," Hinata froze in mid-stride as Naruto's voice called out to her, "if you are ever in the mood for some ramen…and if you want some company…don't hesitate to ask…" Hinata's heart nearly burst. He had asked her to ask him on a lunch date! "Also…thanks for earlier…" Suddenly all of the day's events caught up with her: holding Naruto's hand, stroking Naruto's back as he wept, holding Naruto, and finally having a late lunch with Naruto.

"_Don't pass out, don't pass out, DON'T PASS OUT!"_ she repeated in her mind over and over again, as the strange "Inner-personality" fell to her minds floor with an overly large grin on its face.

Slowly, he turned his head to glance at her one last time and smile, "I'd really appreciate it."

With a squeaked "Ok" she ran to her home still marveling at the kind smile he gave her. It was the first one of its kind she had ever seen, and she made a goal right then and there to see more of its kind in the future. She continued to her home, only to pass out once she passed the front gate, a proud smile of victory on her face similar to the chibi version in her mind.

Naruto continued to eat his ramen slowly, savoring the taste of ash in his mouth. Without Hinata in the stand, the stand felt a little bit colder and the world seemed much too close for comfort. Beside him, Sarutobi slurped up his noodles, sending side glances his way ever so often, but he paid the old man no mind and continued on his one bowl. He just wanted the day to end and tomorrow to begin.

"Everything that once belonged to Iruka has passed to you," the Hokage began. "His apartment and everything in it."

Naruto made no indication that he heard the old man and continued to swirl his Ramen with his chopsticks, taking a small bite occasionally.

"So," Sarutobi tried again to start up a conversation with the depressed boy, "I'd like to apologize for what happened, Iruka was a good man and a fine soldier, he deserved much better…"

"Better than a last ditch technique from a dying traitor?" Naruto's rebuttal was quick and harsh.

Sarutobi grimaced at the jab. He had not meant for Naruto to find out about his white lie until he told him about it himself. How could he tell the newly elected Genin the truth when the truth would all but justify what their parents had been feeding them from such an early age? The carnage, the mayhem, the atrocity that was the battlefield that Naruto had created as well as the remnants of the corpse of Mizuki, if the children knew what had truly taken place, they would have called for the boys head, and if not them then their parents would have. Early that morning he himself had learned the truth of what happened during the Mizuki incident, as it had become known as, and what he had heard made him, the Professor and God of Shinobi, pale and wither in fear.

The four ANBU told of how the one woman with the smirk that chilled their soul attacked first, firing her weapons and circling his body like a hungry shark; it seemed that her weapons were like those used in the puppets of Suna, only on a much stronger scale. Once the shots were fired the other girls joined in allowing Mizuki no time to comprehend. The paper manipulator twitching her fingers and sent her mighty golems to batter his wounded figure; the dark complexioned girl attacked his shaken defense, breaking his bones and tearing his tendons with her stone crushing blows; the snow woman slicing and dicing his limbs with her claws and cutting off his escape routes with erecting pillars of frozen water; and the girl with the scythes headed straight for his exposed torso due to the darker girls assault. After that the four ANBU lost track of the fight besides the screams of pain and the laughter of the strange barrel weapon user.

"Naruto you must understand-"

"Oh, I understand all right," Naruto interrupted before the elder Hokage could go about one of his sprees of 'The good of the people' and other related subjects. He stood suddenly and paid for this meal.

"Naruto won't you forgive me," the Hokage pleaded as Naruto turned to leave. That was what Sarutobi came to the stand for: forgiveness. No matter what happened to the young man, he always seemed to forgive, and knowing that he forgave helped Sarutobi sleep almost every night.

But the young blond stayed silent, continuing towards the street outside of Ichiraku's Ramen Bar. He had not forgiven him…

"Naruto where are you going," the Hokage asked fervently as he began to panic slightly. This boy before him would always forgive him, so why did he not forgive him now?

"I'm going to get answers from someone I can trust, someone whose always been with me, someone who appears to have my best intensions at heart," he answered as he patted his stomach, or to be more precise, the Seal that was burned into his stomach.

Sarutobi's eyes widened and he stumbled out of his stool and into the street as he followed the retreating blond. Surely this ball of energy and King of Pranking would not fall into the clutches of the vilest of all beings? "Naruto! You can't possibly mean…you wouldn't… Naruto!"

"Hokage-sama, please you're making a spectacle of yourself," it as true, people now stopped to watch the pleading Sarutobi, as he sat upon his knees, yelling at a mono-toned Naruto. But what was worse was that the blond referred to him as 'Hokage-sama' not as 'Jiji' as he always did.

"Naruto, please," his tone was desperate and needy, "haven't I been there for you? Haven't I always sat by your hospital bed and waited for you to wake up? Didn't I give you your first apartment? Surely I've been here for you when it matters? Please Naruto, please." Naruto stood stock-still. All was quiet save the whispering of the observers that watched the confrontation as it unfolded. Sarutobi hated to play the pity card, but in a situation such as this, he had no other choice.

With is back still facing the Hokage, Naruto spoke his voice low, "Been…there…

"Were you there on those lonely nights, as I cried myself to sleep?"

_**Stab.**_

Naruto was now facing the Hokage, his voice gradually growing in intensity, "Were you there as I was buried alive, or attacked by dogs?"

_**Stab.**_

He took slow steps towards the shocked Hokage with his head downcast, "Were you there when a drunken mob entered my 'apartment', dragged me out into the woods and burned me alive?"

_**Stab.**_

"Or the night when the drunken men came into my home and…and…" the sentence was not finished but the point got across.

_**Stab.**_

He now stood before the Hokage as he shook, all this news being heard for the first time; his shadow draped over his aged figure like a suffocating blanket. "Were you there when Iruka was killed before my eyes?!" his hands shot out and gripped the aged and crippled man by his collar, lifting him until he was mere inches from his face and blazing sapphire eyes, "You could have given the order! You could have ordered the ANBU in hiding to attack! You could have ADOPTED ME you BASTARD!" He was now screaming into the shaking mans face. For all his power, the once great 'Professor' was cowering before this boy, this child.

"Please Naruto," his voice was small as he pleaded into this face of the martyr before him, "please forgive, for they know not what they do… including I."

"'Know not'," Naruto's voice dropped considerably, become all but a whisper, "One day," he threw his crippled and shaking form onto the ground roughly, "One day…I will forgive…" he turned and left the broken man, just like how he was left. He strolled to the edge of the ring that had formed around their two bodies, his head held high, leaving the Hokage with a slight bit of his damned Hope. "But not today, not tomorrow, and not the next day…"

He strolled down the street, people stepped out of his way, and women hid their children from his fiery glaze. Once again, he felt the hands caress his face and the arms warm his shoulders hugging him with pride and joy. "Kyubi I wish to speak with you," his voice was quiet, but those that strained their hearing could have heard the request, and some did judging by the paled faces and the uncontrollable shaking.

The arms tightened around his body, holding him closely as if he were to float away, **"Ok. Go to the deepest part of the forest and meditate."** Her words were soft in his ear, and her breath sent shivers down his spine; shivers of what, he did not know.

"Very well, Kyubi."

"**Please Naru-kun,"** her voice sang softly with his ear once again, and he couldn't help but relax into its quiet symphony, **"call me Yoko."**

"Yoko… sunshine, sunlight…crimson…" he grinned softly and he could feel Yoko smiling as well, "Very well…Yoko…"

XxXxX Deep within Naruto's mind, Atop the Hokage Monument XxXxX

The realm of his mind was cold, dark, and considerably damp. Water reached to his knees as he trudged through the tears to his destination, the Seal of Yoko. As he walked he past door after countless door, each with a different shape, size, and condition of disrepair. Some resembled doors of houses, while others resembled doors of an insane asylum. Some resembled a door to a child's room, clean, neat, and with small child like drawings on its surface; while another had thick black chains circling its frame and the sound of screaming echoing from inside.

But he paid these memories no mind, as he continued to trek to his goal. Finally it came into view, tall, sturdy and gargantuan. It reached up as far as the eye could see and it reached across for nearly one hundred meters. As he grew closer, the cage began to shrink until it was no more than three meters high and two meters across, its depth unknown. But, like the doors to memories, Naruto paid this no mind. Instead he walked casually through the bars and into the depths of the dark cage, searching for the one person who would, hopefully, give him a straight and truthful answer to all the questions that paraded and stampeded through his mind.

And there she sat; the sea of tears up to her chest, knees drawn up, and her back was facing him. Her orange hair fell on either side of head like two setting suns. She wore a red tank top and a red pair of sweatpants like when he entered his mind during the 'Mizuki Incident'. She made no notice of him as he sat down behind her and rested his back on hers.

They sat there in silence for many minutes; just enjoying the warmth the others back gave off. Longer they sat until Yoko spoke, "So, Naru-kun…what is it you would like to know?" her voice was calm and quiet, waiting for his response.

He head was downcast, thinking of what he wanted to know, thinking of what questions he wanted answered. There so many, so very many questions that he wanted answers to. "Every thing," he spoke with no stutter and with no hesitation, "I want to know everything: everything about you, this watch," he lifted the thick bracelet so he could see it in fine detail, "my life, my family…everything."

Yoko stayed silent for several seconds, mulling over what he had just requested. He wanted to know everything…was it right to tell him everything, to reveal that which should remained hidden. A smile formed on her lips like it always did nowadays, this boy, this boy turned man, always made her smile…just like _he_ used to. But she had to be sure. "Once I tell you everything, there will be no going back…are you sure you want to know?"

His reply was quick and cracked like a whip, "Yes."

She smiled again before tilting her head back, resting it on his back, and began her tale, "Long before the concept of time, there was God. He ruled over all of creation and all of…well everything, and with him were his countless Angels who sang praises to him and glorified his name. Now there are many different classifications of Angels: Choir Angels, Archangels, Messenger Angels, Courier Angels, etc. I was the Captain of one of the most ruthless squadron of Archangels. Our squadron held neither name nor title, but we were revered as the strongest and most deadly Angels in existence…beside Gabriel, " Naruto could feel her shiver, "now that is someone you do NOT want to piss off."

Naruto could help but smile slightly, and Yoko felt joy in her heart for the old Naruto had not yet died, just slept. She soon continued on her tale this time her voice was dark and cold, "But there was one Angel that did not see things in the same light as our Lord God. Instead he led a rebellion with many of his subordinates to over throw our Lord and gain the power of God for himself." Her aura now screamed vengeance and cried out in rage, "I killed many of my close friends that day. But when the day ended God threw all that followed satan as well as satan himself into Hell…for all eternity.

"But satan was not pleased and swore his revenge. As Revelation fallen on the earth and as the Son of God came to take his chosen children back to Heaven to bask in ever lasting life, he made his move. The fallen Angel, our once proud brethren reversed time and started the world over again but he added strange things to the people that inhabited this world. And every time Revelation came upon the world, satan would reverse time and start the world anew, claiming more and more of Gods children.

"But God knew how to combat the devil. In the land where corrupt souls devoured the souls of both the live as well as the dead, God sent kindhearted Soul Reapers to combat this evil. In the time of demons, he sent a half-breed that understood loneliness to defeat a vile spider. In the world where Alchemy ruled and human lives were sacrificed in order to gain immortality, God sent two brothers that understood the strange art to fight the demons and vile creations of that world. Each time satan tried to gain the upper hand, God would send a greater Hero to defeat the Villain of that land.

"But each world was becoming more and more difficult to defend, so God created that," she, her back still turned, pointed at the strange watch that had grafted itself onto the young blonds wrist. "Inside of that small watch, that Omnitrix, are the souls of countless Heroes and Heroines. Its soul purpose is to defeat the evils of this land." Yoko chuckled softly, cutely, "ironically, my Lord got the idea from a world were the Omnitrix first existed, but within it were held Aliens instead of Heroic Souls."

Naruto spun around eyes wide, his child like nature once again shining brightly, "No way, _Aliens?!"_

Yoko also spun around and nodded vigorously, grinning with joy in her head that Naruto was still Naruto, childlike and boisterous, "Yes way. One had diamonds for a head," she made a strange gesture with her hands as she explained each of the peculiar beings traits and features.

But as the explanation progressed, Naruto's demeanor went back to that of depression and sorrow. Currently Yoko had her arm draped around Naruto's shoulders, her thumb caressing back and forth against his shirt. His eyes stayed straight forwards and his posture was once again stiffened. Even though the time of happiness had only lasted a short time she still knew that Naruto was Naruto. With an unseen signal she once again continued on her story of her life.

"This world is the most recent restart, as well as the maiden voyage of this Omnitrix, so in order for God to insure the proper use of the Omnitrix, he placed a challenge within it so only the purest of hearts and the noblest of man, or women, could wield its power.

"Also when the world was new, God called my squadron before his throne and gave us a new assignment. "You are to go to earth and guard it from the demons and monsters that may threaten my children" his voice commanded so we did as we were told. We changed our shape and appearance and headed down into the world as guardians. We were later named the 'Biju', the tailed beasts, by the humans that saw us roam the land." Her façade darkened slightly as she continued to explain her life, "Naturally, humans fear what they do not understand, and so my brethren were labeled Demons and monster because of our size and shape.

"Since no _real_ demons could be found and since the humans were as near to an infantile state of both technology as well as understanding, my brethren and I slept. We would awake every few decades and roam around to see how the world was changing, but we soon found out that we were not just sent to protect the humans that inhabited this planet," she sighed wistfully and Naruto couldn't help but look at her beautiful face as she smiled off into the distance as she recalled past events.

"Another reason why God sent us to earth was, out of all the Angels that were under his command, my brethren and I were the most…immature of all. We had no concept of any other emotion besides honoring our Lord and rage. We were fighters," she shrugged her shoulders, "we didn't see any need for emotions other than wrath. So in other words, our Lord sent us nine Archangels to learn to understand: happiness, love, joy, sorrow, anger, loneliness, loss, and many other things that come naturally to both humans as well as Angels.

"One day strange men entered my keep, though, while I was sleeping. I awoke to find them kneeling before me and I asked why they kneeled. They answered me by calling me a God and asking if the could plant a village in my territory…the Hidden Leaf Village," Naruto gasped slightly and Yoko nodded. "As you may have guessed these men were the Shodai, Nidaime, and Uchiha Madara, founder of the Uchiha clan. Naturally, I corrected them and told them I was not a God, just an emissary from him, but I gave my blessing to create this Village with the promise that they would bring any of their future leaders to see me so I could judge their character and see if they were worthy to lead.

"And soon another entered my keep, it was Senju Tobirama, your Nidaime. He foretold of his brothers death and told me that he was to be Hokage. I gave him my blessing and he went off on his way to rule his Shinobi. Again years past and soon the Nidaime came to me again, but this time he brought another with him. This man smelled of monkeys and proclaimed that his name was Sarutobi Sasuke, and said that he was going to take over from Senju the title of Hokage. I judged him and found him worthy, so I gave him my blessing and sent him on his way. By now though my visage had changed from the emissary to that of a Demon because of the passage of time."

She stopped in her story telling as she came to the point were the story could become harmful to her young love. She turned to him, his face still unemotional and their eyes met, brilliant blue meeting warm ruby. "This next part holds some things that may be hurtful to you…do you still-"

"Continue," his was so crisp and clear, it was almost hurtful, "please…Yoko continue."

She smile her sweet smile at him and continued, "Years past again and it came for my periodical patrol, by this time I come to the understanding of the emotions that humans felt, even though I had yet to feel most of them. I had decided to change into my human form to scout the area and as I did I found a crying child."

Her hand moved to stroke his hair, raking her nails soothingly against his scalp. One thing that Naruto had never told anyone was that if there was anywhere he loved to he scratched and stroked was either on the top of his head, preferably his scalp, and his back. If either were scratched and massaged his body went from relaxation to shut down, and he would become a puddle of quivering flesh in the palm of anyone who did such. She pressed her body against him, letting him feel her warmth and bask in her glow, her head resting on his shoulder. If Naruto had been capable of coherent thought he would have pushed her away or asked why she was acting so unusually.

Gently her voice trickled into his ear, and she whispered, "No matter what you may hear next, remember that I _love_ you, Uzumaki Naruto. _I_. _Love_. _**You**_." Her voice quivered softly and her hold on his hair tightened slightly. Naruto, still star struck by the concept of someone actual loving him began to believe her, and he snuggled closer to her subconsciously; but before Naruto could question her extraordinary announcement she continued with her story.

"The boy had golden hair and bright blue eyes. He had found himself lost in the forest an hour earlier and could not find his way out, hence his weeping. So I approached him and asked for his name. He told me his name was Namikaze Minato." Seeing how Naruto did not react to the name, Yoko knew she was in the clear for a while. "I helped him back to his home and left back to my patrol. Days later while I slept, the boy found me and roused me to talk to me and to play. I found out that he was an orphan and soon my heart began to move to him without his knowing."

Tears began to caress her cheeks yet she persevered, "Years past and he continued to come and visit me. I soon found myself falling in love with Minato, yet he still did not know. Finally one day Sarutobi came to see me about his successor, and low and behold," she chuckled bitterly, "it was the one man that I fell in love with, Namikaze Minato the Yondaime Hokage." Her tears were flowing freely.

"Your father…"

Naruto's world shook and quaked. His father was the Yondaime and no one had told him? His mind began to whirl as Yoko continued her tale, "He continued to visit me, but soon he brought stories of your mother, Kushina, and how much he had fallen for her. Then," she choked back a sob, "he told me how he was to be married soon and soon after that how Kushina was pregnant. I was so angry!" she was shaking now and she let go of Naruto stand taking several paces away from a thunderstruck Naruto, "I was so angry that he could abandon me like that! I was so angry! So I…I…"

"You attacked Konoha out of jealousy…didn't you?'

"Yes…" Yoko whispered as she wept her back to the now equally shaking Naruto.

"So…is that what I am…" his voice was cold and the water by his feet as he began to stand froze and soon shattered, "Have I become a stand in for the man you couldn't love!?" he screamed and soon shards of ice rocketed towards her person as Naruto exercised his control over his mindscape.

Yoko feared that this would happen and happened it did. He believed that she was using him to get back at his now dead father. At first, when the Seal was new and her bitterness was fresh, the thought crossed her mind. But as years went by and she saw more and more of the persecution that was directed to him and the more she saw him persevere, the more she fell in love with him. It started small but as the beatings grew worse and his resolve held strong, she fell more in love with him than she every thought she could, seventy times seventy times more than she was with Minato. For her love for Minato was more of a crush she realized early on in her sealing.

She quickly dodged the incoming ice shards, and, as quickly as she could, made her towards the distraught Naruto. "NO! You're not some stand in! You're the real deal I prom-"

"Lies! All LIES!!" waves of whipping water and sharpened ice careened towards the orange haired woman. The day's events were finally catching up to him as his mind went into overload, everything was happening to quickly and Naruto was at his ropes end. His ability to think clearly was almost non-existent.

Yoko ducked under the water whips with surprising ease and evaded the spears of ice effortlessly. Because of his delusions, his attacks had barely ten percent the effectiveness it would have if he could think clearly. In a flash she was upon him pinning his arms to his sides with a powerful hug that contained all of her feelings for him. His eyes had begun to glow with an unholy ruby light and his whisker marks had begun to bleed, his fangs were elongated and his hair was standing on end; he was truly falling apart.

They now stood in the center of the hurricane that the sea of tears had become. She had to think quickly, otherwise Naruto could loose himself to his sorrow, hatred, and misery and only one option presented itself. She moved her lips to his ear even as the winds of misery sliced her limbs and the fires of hate burned her flesh and whispered, "I'll show you that I love you by giving you something I never gave Minato."

Pulling back slightly, she looked into his burning eyes as tears poured down his face, mixing with the blood from his whisker like scars. She gently moved her lips closer to his and soon his screams of sorrow were muffled by her kiss, and once her lips caressed his, translucent wings of crimson energy burst forth from her back, marking her his and only his. **(1)** The waves surged even more and the winds howled louder then ever before, whipping the air as well as Yoko's body, trying to pry her off of their young Commander. But soon the raging elements calmed and finally died down as Naruto's screams ceased. His arms twitched and finally his hands pressed their palms against her shoulder blades, bringing her closer to him and deepening the kiss. Yoko let her tears fall as well once Naruto began to embrace her.

The kiss was nothing extravagant, the pressing of ones lips against another at best. But to one such as Naruto who had never known the feeling of love or of being cared for, this sensation was the closest thing to Heaven he had ever come across. The lips softness dulled the pain that had been raking his body since the news of his failed exam reached his ears. The gentle caress of her nose against his cheek as she titled her head caused him to weep.

She really loved him…didn't she?

"Yes," she murmured, as she pulled away only to embrace him fiercer then ever before.

Just then the world came tumbling down.

As she held him, he wept like he had never wept before. He wept for Iruka, for the hateful, yet true, words that he screamed at the Hokage. He wept for the stupidity of man and he wept for Mizuki. He wept for every soul that was lost during Yoko's rampage, he wept for the Angels that had died fighting their corrupt brothers and sisters, and he wept for Yoko. He wept for the pain she felt when she realized the man she loved did not love her and for the death of her friends. Minutes turned into hours, and soon hours turned into days, but he never stopped weeping.

Yoko soon joined in once Naruto began to weep. She wept for the hatred that he did not deserve and of the stupidity of man as well. She wept for Iruka's death for he should not have died in such a cruel way. But most of all, she wept tears of joy for Naruto: finally he would feel love from not only her, but from anyone that was willing to give him love.

They still held one another as the sat on the floor. Because of the days spent weeping within the mindscape, the sea of tears had disappeared entirely leaving only cold cement in its stead. Naruto sat in Yoko's lap, seeing as she was slightly taller than he was, as she stroked his hair and hummed quietly. Naruto instantly recognized the tune from his days of crying himself to sleep, and looked up into Yoko's ruby eyes.

Yoko smiled and answered the unanswered question, "It's called 'Silent Night'; I used to sing it to you as you slept. Along with playing the piano, singing is one of the only things I found I truly enjoyed when I began to learn on earth."

He continued to look but at her and asked, "How long have you been… 'affecting' me…?"

"Besides singing to you I've done nothing…" Yoko looked at him and smiled slyly. Cleverness and slyness were two of her favorite emotions, probably since her form was modeled after that of the fox. "But…when you first…" she made a crude motion with her hand, the vigorous moving up and down of her closed fist, "I was surprised you used me in my human form as a basis…"

All Naruto cold do was spit and sputter as Yoko laughed uproariously. Naruto did not join in but he did smile at her antics. Soon his smile turned into a sad grimace, "Yoko," his asked, causing her to stop laughing, "will the ache every go away?'

Yoko looked down at him sadly and marveled at how young and small he looked sometimes. "No, the ache will never cease, it will dull… but never cease…"

He nodded sadly and continued to sit on her lap as she now stroked and rubbed his back. "How can I trust you, what you've told me?" he asked suddenly. Yoko could see that this question had been eating away at him for some time now. "Demon's are known to lie… so how I can I know what you told me, you being an Archangel and your…love," his eye began to roll wildly in his sockets like those of a frightened horses and his breathing became sporadic.

She kissed him again to calm his nerves, and calm them they did. His breathing slowed and his eyelids drifted shut. Pulling away, much to Naruto's dismay, Yoko pulled the strap to her tank top until the upper part of her breast was visible, the flesh right over her beating heart. This action caused Naruto, the great creator of the '**Ninja Centerfold'**, to blush fiercely but as she drew her right index nail across her flesh, creating a thin but deep cut in the form of an 'X', he gasped.

"I promise that everything I told you tonight was truthful. Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye." She held a smile on her face as she finished the childish chant, but Naruto some how knew how important this action was as a thin sliver of blood continued to trickle out of the cross shaped wound.

Something took over just then, an instinct thought long past. With agonizing slowness, Naruto tilted his head until his lips were directly over the cut. His lips quivered as they parted and his tongue drifted closer to her flesh, to where the blood oozed forth. A gasped came from Yoko as his ruff tongue drug itself across her ivory flesh and lapped up the coppery liquid. His tongue flicked over the soon to be scar and he sucked the 'X', making sure no infections would enter the wound.

"As much as I love doing this, we have more pressing matters." Naruto looked up at her and she motioned for him to vacate her lap. He looked where he was as his eyes lost their glazed tint and all but shot out of her lap. She soon to join him, looking equally flustered but dealing with the embarrassment much better then he was.

Snapping her fingers in front of his face to gain his attention, she spoke again, "Remember when I told you a challenge was programmed into the Omnitrix?" He nodded, not liking where this was going. "Well like it or not, you have to take it…now."

With that she snapped her fingers again and nine shadows appeared in the darkness of the cage. "These men are your starter ten, your first ten Fists that I will grant you access to." But before Naruto could point out that there was only nine, Yoko began to introduce them.

"The First Fist, you have already met, Inuyasha!" The half-breed dog demon stepped forward into the light and Naruto nodded in his direction.

"The second Fist is named Edward Elric." A long, blond haired teen stepped forward; he was no more than Naruto's height but is eyes burned with a fire that he had never seen before in some one his age. He wore a red trench coat that reached to his ankles; a black pair of form fitting pants pants, matching black leather boots, and white leather gloves.

"The third Fist is Kurosaki Ichigo." Another teen stepped forward except that his hair was similar to Naruto's only a light shade of orange and cold eyes; eyes that had seen much lose and felt much loneliness. He wore a black shihakusho and had what appeared to be a large zanbato sheathed on his back that was as long as he was tall.

"Fourth Fist, Kenshin Himura," A red-haired man stepped forward wear traditional Japanese clothes. His cross-shaped scar on his left cheek was a bright pink color, as if the scar was recent even though it was almost a decade old. He held a sword at his side that demanded recognition.

"Fifth Fist, Vash the Stampede." This man also had blond hair. It shot straight up like the end of a broom and on his face he held a pleasant smile. He wore a large red trench coat that reached down to his boots and that clasped in the front. At his side he held a barrel weapon, like the crazy brunette wielded the night Mizuki was killed.

"Sixth Fist, Itsuki "Ikki" Minami." Yet another teen, this man was dressed casually in jeans, t-shirt, and coat but also wore strange shoes on his feet, similar to roller blades. His hair reminded Naruto of the feathers of a bird and his face was one of merriment and arrogance.

"Seventh Fist, Monkey D. Luffy." This man was dressed in cut off jeans and a sleeveless button up plaid shirt. On his feet were scandals and on his head was a straw hat. A crescent shaped scar was worn directly underneath his left eye and his eyes also held a light of arrogance but also a light of power that was unmatched.

"Eighth Fist, Negi Springfield." This boy was by far the youngest, topping out at the age of ten. He wore a cloak that also had a hood and casual clothes. He also had a staff in one hand and small circular glasses on the bridge of his nose. Even though his posture was one of inexperience, something about him told Naruto he could hold his own in any fight.

"And Ninth Fist, Alucard." The final man screamed power. His aura was as dark as his hair and his smile sent shivers down his spine like nothing he had felt before. He wore mostly red, with a wide brimmed hat, trench coat, and sunglasses. His clothes, as well as his posture, and the way that held himself, reminded Naruto of a noble man.

"No offence Yoko," Naruto said as he interrupted her, his curiosity getting the better of him, "but you said that I had a starter ten. This is only nine."

Yoko smiled, "Very good. Yes this is only nine but the tenth cannot partake in this challenge because…well…" she snapped her fingers once again and a large, large, LARGE Angel shaped behemoth stood behind her.

Its wings were folded behind it and upon its head was a helm like that of a samurai's. Its armor ranged in color and it stood almost six stories. "Tenth Fist, Wing Zero." She turned to a gaping Naruto and giggled softly, "You know what…you're cute when you're flabbergasted…" Naruto had the decency to blush, still not used to this kind of attention.

Suddenly Yoko grew serious and all of the nine Heroes tensed, "Uzumaki Naruto your challenge is to battle all of these Heroes at once and defeat them all. You have no time limit. All you have to do is…stay alive…" her voice was quiet as she leapt up and onto the shoulder of the towering Wing Zero.

Once she landed on its shoulder she smiled at the serious expression on the young blonds face as three of the Heroes, Ikki, Luffy, and Negi, began the assault. She had no doubt in her mind that her Mate would fail as she watched him blocked Negi's fist only to receive another from Ikki in the ribs. She gently began to stroke her chin as a thought came to her, _'Maybe she should have mentioned that Naruto and her were now Mates…_' She shrugged her shoulders, _'Oh well he was going to find out sooner or later…maybe tomorrow.'_

XxXxX Back on the Battle Field XxXxX

Once Yoko had left the battle field the man named Alucard swept his hand in Naruto's direction and spoke in a voice that was more suited for the grave, "First wave, attack."

With that command the Heroes named Ikki, Negi, and Luffy bolted towards Naruto as he entered a flawed fighting stance. Right away Naruto realized that these men were experts in the art of hand-to-hand combat and that Ikki specialized in speed. Those skates granting him speeds that Naruto had though impossible. He zipped about, sending punches and kicks at his weak defense at mind numbing speeds, but Naruto had to remember that he was not his only problem as the moment.

The boy, Negi, was also well versed in the art of hand-to-hand combat, but he was as sloppy as Naruto was; his punches holding not much 'umph' to them, and his speed was mediocre at best.

From his left came the before mentioned boy and Naruto caught his fist with ease but Ikki's fist struck him hard in the ribs, cracking one of them. Before Naruto could recover, Luffy, the straw-hat wearer, appeared above him and sent a crushing fist into his face, causing his body to crash into the floor with cement cracking force.

"Luffy, second King of the Pirates. Ikki, King of the Strom Road. And Negi, son of the 'Thousands Master'. Each has been given a title, and each has the power to hold it." Alucard spoke as he sat on a chair that was erected from the shadows.

Naruto twisted his torso and spun his legs, temporarily making himself a living whirlwind. He swiftly kicked all three of the fighters off of himself and flipped to his feet. He once again fell into his stance but he could not stop himself from shaking, he could hardly hold his own against three of these Heroes and he still had six more to fight.

He watched as Ikki and Negi bolted to the left and right respectively, leaving Luffy directly in front of him. Luffy smiled childishly, causing Naruto to raise an eyebrow, and gripped his upper arm in a peculiar way. The stance that Luffy had placed himself in made it appear that he was flexing his right arm, but what happen next sent Naruto for a loop, literally.

"Gum Gum Pistol," like that his arm shot forward and struck Naruto, sending him more then ten meters back wards, when Naruto was a good twenty meters away. His fist felt like steel and now Naruto's jaw felt like dust.

Naruto had to twist his body sideways to avoid a punch sent to him by Ikki, and using his momentum, kicked Negi in the head with a downwards ax-kick. Both fighters vacated Naruto's space in seconds, giving the blond a few moments to breath.

"Second wave, attack."

The first wave fell back and the second wave, consisting of Ichigo, Kenshin, and Inuyasha, rushed towards the panting winded Naruto. Each, including Inuyasha, drew a sword in mid stride and swung them as one.

If Naruto had not had good flexibility due to his botched training as a Ninja, he would have surely been cut into thirds. He quickly backtracked, putting some much needed distance between himself and the swordsmen, and his eyes scanned them with the utmost thoroughness.

Before in the hand-to-hand fight, his eyes ranged the men as mid-Chunnin ranked, something he was familiar with, and now these men were dropped into the same category. But what he found odd amongst the three swordsmen was that Kenshin held a sword with no sharpened edge and Inuyasha wielded a large zanbato.

Before he could make any more observations, Kenshin rushed forward, his small sword a blur of motion. Naruto instant backpedaled, wishing that he had changed out of his clothes of mourning and into his usual attire that had with it his Ninja tools. Kenshin brought his sword high as he jumped towards Naruto, his eyes hard, and brought his sword arching down. Again, Naruto _dearly_ wished he had his Ninja tools as he thrust his hands towards the oncoming blade in hopes of catching it, but his wish was surprisingly granted as a Kunai knife materialized in the palm of his hand.

Steel granted against steel, sparks bounced about like fireflies, and their faces were no more than inches from one another. One held a grimace while the other grinned at his slight victory. It appeared that Naruto wasn't defenseless. Quickly, Naruto's two other zanbato wielding opponents appeared on either side of him, swords raised high over their heads. Naruto had to think fast otherwise he was going to be cut in two.

Pushing Kenshin back, he summoned another Kunai and blocked both falling blows to the best of his ability. His knees buckled under the weight and the force of the two blades, caused his muscles creaked and groan. The force that was applied threatened Naruto's bones to break and shatter because of the pressure. His eyes were shut do to the strain, but he opened them quickly when he sensed a fluctuation in the air. Kenshin was currently planning on skewering him on the tip of his reverse-blade sword.

With renewed strength, Naruto pushed the two zanbato's away from his person and kicked the incoming sword out of Kenshin's hands. With a barking war cry, Naruto tightened his grip on the hilt of his Kunai and struck Kenshin in the face, directly in the center, breaking Kenshin's nose and showering the ground with blood. Kenshin reeled backwards with a cry of pain, but retrieved his sword and regrouped his fellow swordsmen while cradling his bloodied nose.

"Ichigo, substitute Soul Reaper. Kenshin, the once great Hitokiri Battosai. And Inuyasha, the…well," Alucard, the self proclaimed spokesmen of the ten Heroes chuckled from his throne, his chin resting on the top of his closed fist, "you've already met…haven't you?"

Naruto looked at the last three people left for him to battle against as Alucard called back the second wave. It consisted of Alucard, Edward, and Vash, two of which that were a complete mystery to Naruto. Alucard was one of the mysteries as his aura screamed death and his power level was something that Naruto had never thought plausible.

The other mystery was Edward. Nothing about his dress or posture hinted on any of his abilities. At first Naruto thought that the teen may have been one that specialized in hand-to-hand combat, but when he did not with the other Taijutsu users, his entire person became a mystery.

And seeing as Vash had that strange barrel weapon strapped to his waist, his specialty was easy to spot: long ranged fighting.

Movement caused Naruto to end his inner musing and drop back into his stance, Kunai in both hands. Alucard began stroll in his direction and the bloodlust that he was exuding was causing Naruto to both take steady steps backwards as well as making his breathing difficult to achieve. From what Naruto could judge, this beast before him held the most power, at the moment, of all the Heroes.

His smile grew as he took off his sunglasses and large rimmed hat and threw them aside, "Alucard, once the famed Vlad the Impaler." His voice held a morbid sense of glee to it was he both continued forward with his reaper like steps and his introductions, "Vash, the Humanoid Typhoon. And Edward, the Fullmetal Alchemist.

"Third wave, attack!"

Naruto jumped back only to have a bullet tear through his shoulder, thanks to Alucard. So that was his weapon of choice, the strange barrel weapon? Vash unsheathed his weapon and began firing at the dodging and scurrying Naruto, blasting holes in the floor, walls, and occasionally Naruto.

Naruto was running for his life, quite literally. These men were monsters, and yet he knew nothing of the one that was standing still; this did not bode well with the blond Ninja. Suddenly, Edward clapped his hands together and then placed them on the ground. Lightening thrashed about were his hands made contact with the cement floor, and the floor began to twist and churn, morphing into some kind of monstrosity.

The earth bulged and from it was born an enormous cannon, spanning nearly five meters in the air, with Edward standing atop it. His hands twitched from their perch on the top of the cannon and the barrel glowed with an intense light before spewing forth a ball of stone a meter and a half in circumference at a break neck speed. Naruto narrowly dodged and as the cannon-ball struck where he once stood, and once the cannonball struck the ground a large cater was formed, causing the earth to quake.

The gunfire from the two still gunmen resumed, and Naruto was once again the target, not having anytime to marvel at the destructive power of the alchemy powered cannon. Weaving left, right and center, Naruto became a ferret, dodging each of the bullets with slippery ease and taking as little damage as possible.

But he knew he could not hold out for much longer.

A snapping of fingers and all firing was ceased, the cannon melting back into the ground and the pistols held pointing towards the sky in a stand by motion. Alucard's chuckling drifted through the air, and as the Heroes congregated around his shaking form, his chucking erupted into laughter that signaled the death of humanity.

"Oh, yes! Now this will be a truly spectacular battle indeed!" and with that Alucard led the assault upon Naruto with every Hero following not far behind.

Naruto began to shake as the Heroes began their charge; each one was out for blood and only his blood would satisfy their palates. Each sword was raised and each pistol was cocked, each fist was clenched and each resolve was set. Each and every one of the Heroes was going to have a part in his death. He was truly afraid, and the only thing he could think of was to run, run and hide under the first rock he found, never to see the light of day again. He turned to run, and he ran for all his worth, Alucard laughing at his futile attempt at freedom ringing in his ears like funeral chimes.

The world began to slow as he ran, taking hits from the bullets and other attacks. He once again felt the arms of his love circle his shoulders and she questioned her breath hot on his ear, "Why do you run?"

"I can't beat them," he answered, as much as it pained him to do so, "I can't beat them!"

"And so you run?" her voice sounded like a scolding mother as another punch from the rubber man landed, cracking his left shoulder blade. "Is that how it will be? When you come upon an enemy that seems unbeatable, you will run and hide, only to die when your enemy finds you?" her voice was slowly growing in intensity and Naruto couldn't help but be ashamed.

"But they have powers that I can never contend with," he tried to reason as another bullet tore at his leg.

"Of course you can, my dear," her song was soothing once again.

The swordsmen had caught up to him and were now sending slice, after carve, after slash towards him, "NO I can't!"

Yoko looked down sadly from her perch, as Naruto tried his best to dodge and parry each of his enemy's assaults. In all honesty, all the Heroes that attacked him at this time had the same amount of power that Naruto had, they were all on par with one another. One thing that his father and mother had left him was a Chakra store that dwarfed that of any Jounin and some Kage, so Naruto was even more powerful than his enemy's if he knew how to channel it correctly.

"Just remember, my Love," she whispered, "if you die…I die…" with that said her presence left him to his own horror stricken thoughts.

Just like that, the gravity of the situation was relevant. He had once again escaped from his foes, but now he stood stock-still. If he died…the women he had currently fallen in love with…would die as well… This could not be? But then again, his father was revered as one of the most powerful Shinobi of all time as well as one of the smartest, so having their souls bond in such a way did not come as a surprise. A nasty and terrifying concept, it was nonetheless.

Luffy suddenly appeared at his right and Ichigo appeared at his left, both intending on ending this battle once and for all. In a flash, Naruto had caught both of his enemy's arms and pulled harshly, forcing the two men to collide, their skulls cracking together and sending their owners to a brief realm of unconsciousness. After their heads made contact, he spun and threw the two dazed teens at the oncoming battalion, knocking them over like bowling pins.

XxXxX Up With Yoko XxXxX

Yoko smiled at the display of her love, giggled almost. That was one piece of information she had forgot to mention to her love, and every Hero needed a driving force, so she found now as good a time as any to relay this crucial piece of knowledge.

"You know you were not to interfere in any way," spoke a voice behind her.

Still smiling she tilted her head to look upon the teen that strode up beside her. He had a slight build and shaggy brown hair, his emotions were a complete unreadable, and many of the people that knew him thought that they never existed. The green undershirt that he wore hung off his frame and his shorts clung to him. "I have yet to interfere, Heero Yuy…" she stated a smile still on her face as the air within the mindscape began to churn and swirl, "I have yet to enter the battle field in order to interfere…"

It was true, she did not enter the battlefield…but still…"Smart ass…"

XxXxX Back on the Battle Field XxXxX

A light aura surrounded the once frightened Naruto, lighting his frame and giving him an air that would force animals to run from his presence and birds to fall from the sky. Most of the Heroes grew weary of this new condition and looked from one to another to see what their take was on it. He slowly turned and began walking towards them, his gait like that of an approaching predator.

Without warning, Naruto rushed his one time tormentors, his head low and his arms spread far behind him like wings of a great hawk. With none of the Heroes expecting such a move to come from the frightened boy, they were caught off guard as he bowled into their ranks. Once he had infiltrated their midst's, he became what he was named after, a mighty maelstrom of crushing fists and bone rattling kicks.

He quickly dove within Negi's defenses and delivered a punch that cracked one of his left ribs, tossing him into the assaulting Ikki as he rushed in to deliver a strike of his own. Naruto quickly ducked under a horizontal slash from the dog-demons butcher knife and spun quickly, becoming the powerful maelstrom again, to take Inuyasha's feet out from under his muscular form. His body then became a cartwheel of agonizing pain as he spun his body as he jumped up and onto Inuyasha's prone chest, feeling one of Inuyasha's ribs crack horribly, while dodging both gun shots from Vash as well as Edward's transformed right arm, seeing as it was a metal replica of his original arm, turned sharp blade.

As all this mayhem was taking place Naruto noticed the pipe that lined the ceiling and walls, his nature reverting back into that of the Ninja he had trained himself into. He could sense an aura of…something from them and, as Naruto dodged Kenshin's sword and soon blocked the incoming sheathe with one of the Kunais he summoned, Naruto could only guess what was being pumped through those steel cylinders. He smirked for his guesses were usually correct.

Alucard was watching the entire display of carnage with a horrendous and enormous grin of insanity. The screams and roars of defiance of rage from both the boy in question and the men he fought against, he truly missed. This new vigor of attacking restarted his thirst for battle and blood, and as he watched Naruto narrowly dodge a bolt of lightening sent at him by the boy magician Negi, his hunger grew.

But what caused this newly found fighting spirit, Alucard mused. 'What has caused you to fight anew young boy?" he asked as he began to trek towards the battling mass

"If I die, she die's!" he screamed as he battered the men with all his might, "I cannot allow this!" And with that he either threw or blasted his opponents away from himself, gaining more than ten meters of distance between the two forces.

"So?" Alucard questioned, "What has this woman done that would cause yourself to act as this?"

Images of Yoko drawing her nail across her own flesh and her promise flittered before his eyes and whispered in his ears. The songs that she sang to him as nightmares harassed his body and mind, chirped within his ears. Without thinking twice, Naruto ran his Kunai across the back of his left hand and than again forming an 'X' of his own. He quickly did the same with the back of his other hand bringing the total of 'X's to two.

He than raised his hand and arms until they made a protective 'X' block in front of his upper torso and his scarred hands blocked his face, the backs of his hands on display to his foes, oozing forth blood. "She made me a promise…" his voice was quiet and almost non existent, blood dripping from his open wounds, down his arms and raining down upon the ground, "So I shall make my own…I shall, from this day forth, protect all of my friends,"

Images of a smiling pink-haired girl came into his mind; her emerald eyes shine with a blinding intensity like her sparkling teeth appeared in his mind, a large boy eating chips assaulted his ears, an onyx eyed teen shrugged his shoulders in his direction, and many, many more remembrances swam past his eyes and ears.

"My loved ones," A young raven-haired girl lay crying before an ice-shattered cottage, mourning for her parents. A feral looking lady sat staring at the full moon, trying to forget the harsh words from her mother, tears caressing her red tattoos. A crimson eyed Queen hugged a pillow close to her heart, wondering why she could not find a trust worthy man to love. Lavender eyed young woman smiled kindly, though her eyes did not hide her crushed soul and her weary heart. A purple haired woman sat at the edge of her bed, staring vacantly at the wall trying to feel emotions that lay dormant in her battle driven mind. A Carmel eyed woman rocked back in her bedroom corner weeping silently while men cursed her name from outside her home. A ruby eyed, orange haired Goddess held him tightly and chased away the ghouls of the night. A young brunette that always seemed able to understand him and listened to whatever he had to say. Image after image appeared in Naruto's mind, and his heart beat faster with each passing one.

"And my family," Iruka's now forever-sleeping visage caressed his senses. Sarutobi's smiling face and mirthful laughter tickled his memories.

"My life shall be the force to back up this declaration! No longer will a Black Parade play its mournful tune if I have anything to say about it! No matter who conducts the Parade or what they are capable of, I shall fight anyone that threatens my loved ones and family…Yoko has become both…"

The winds of the world that Naruto thrived in began to churn and swirl around his form, batting his clothes back and forth and forcing the Heroes to stand their distance. When he spoke his voice thundered throughout the land, "Luffy, second King of the Pirates. Ikki, King of the Storm Road. And Negi, son of the 'Thousands Master." Suddenly a pipe quivered and soon burst, angling its liquid content to pour onto the preaching blonde, dousing him in pure Charka.

"Ichigo, substitute Soul Reaper. Kenshin, the once great Hitokiri Battosai. And Inuyasha, son of the great Inu-Taisho." Two more pipes burst, dousing Naruto in even more of his Charka, and flooding his nose and his lungs with the azure life sustaining force.

"Alucard, once the famed Vlad the Impaler. Vash, the Humanoid Typhoon. And Edward, the Fullmetal Alchemist." A total of six more pipes burst, bring the grand total up to nine. Nine pathways of pure Charka now poured on Naruto's glowing frame. His quivering muscles and shaking legs foretold of the power that now coursed through his veins and soul, and soon his hands snapped into position, forming a cross before his breast.

"All of you have titles and the power to hold them, now hear my title and see my power."

Alucard barked his protest against the battering winds, "One does not gain a title just from declaring it, child!" his lips were pulled back in a sneer of anger, revealing long fangs and serrated teeth, "You gain it from the corpses that form you thrown and from the souls that speak of your conquests in Hell!"

More Charka began to light his form, bathing him in a fiery cerulean flame. His muscles twitched and his bones groaned do to the pressure of his Charka, "Then my throne shall be started with your corpses." A shock wave sent several of the Heroes careening to the ground as he shouted his title and sealed his victory. "Now shake in fear of my title:

"NARUTO, THE ONE!"

Clones sprouted in the tens, surrounding the Heroes and blocking all routes of escape.

"MANNED!"

Clones materialized in the hundreds, blanketing the cage of the once free Archangel, cracking their knuckles and grinning mischievously at their trapped prey.

"ARMY!!"

Clones erupted in the thousands, coating every nock and cranny, every floor, wall, and ceiling, and every dark corner of his mindscape.

"ATTACK!" Naruto screamed and as one the Clones attack, swamping the nine Heroes.

XxXxX

Yoko slowly strolled through the moaning and defeated Heroes, humming a soft tune to herself all the while. Some lay unconscious, while others lay batter and beaten, but all lay defeated. The Heroes had been overwhelmed in a matter of seconds and fell one by one, Alucard being the last to fall. She smiled at the look of satisfaction on his face as the Clones dog piled him, burying him under nearly a hundred Naruto's and claimed the blond teen the victor.

She was currently looking for said victor who lay somewhere within the carnage of the cage. She continued to hum as she stepped over the body of Vash, his left arm twisted at an odd angle only to reveal that it was a cybernetic appendage. Her humming abruptly ended as she came upon the beaten body of her Love.

There he lay; face down on the ground, his clothes in tatters and his limbs smoking. His body, even in its spectral form, could not handle that much pure Chakra so his body was feeling the backlash of such an action. His muscles would twitch every few seconds as she approached and his bones cracked as if the gravity on his person was intensified.

She gently knelt down and lifted his weary body onto her lap, stroking his hair and kissing his scared cheeks. He had made her so proud today, she felt like she was going to burst. She soon resumed her humming that was postponed and rocked his form back and forth, like a mother would to her sleeping child. Subconsciously he snuggled into her stomach by tilting his head. Her smile grew and her humming drifted into song, sweet and quiet.

**Silent Night, Holy Night,**

**All is calm, all is bright,**

'**round yon virgin, mother and child, **

She titled her head once again and kissed him on him on both his cheek as well as a portion of his forehead.

**Holy infant so tender and mild,**

**Sleep in Heavenly peace,**

**Sleep in Heavenly peace.**

"Yoko…I…love…" his voice was quiet and happy, silent and peaceful. "…you…"

XxXxX End XxXxX

(1): the idea of this is similar to the concept of 'Sekirei', were a man, or woman, would kiss a Sekirei and make them bond to their person. I find the neck biting to be used too often so I though I would try this idea.

Now I showed you a glimpse into the first ten Fists that I am giving Naruto, the way I chose these ten is that I looked at the main categories of Anime/manga:

Spiritual: Ichigo

Demonic: Inuyasha

Edward: Alchemic/Scientific

Kenshin: Swordsmanship

Vash: Gunmen/Western

Ikki: street fighter

Alucard: Vampire

Luffy: Pirate

Negi: Magician

Wing Zero: Mecha

I think these are the ten basic genres, but others may think differently.

Anyway please review and tell me what you think, but the threat from above still lingers because I had some guy named Aranami Gouka that called my other story 'Rumors of the Shadow Fox III' a trash story…this coming from a man that has written nothing…

Oh well, please review and tell me what you think

Don't forget to join Warper's new Church like I have!!

TTFN

Evilsheeplordthatsaysmoo


	3. Third Fist

Moo

Hello my friends, my enemies, my lovers, my haters, my family, my rivals.

Most of you have probably been wondering where I have been for the last three and a half months, well everywhere and nowhere. December was Christmas with a little dash of hard drive meltdown (lost the chapter of 'Rumors' I was working on); January was school with a Mission trip to the Dominican Republic at the end of the month since it is my senior year in High School (Family tradition); February was writers block and getting money for my High School senior trip; March is getting ready to go to Disney World with my High School band to play at Epcot.

Sorry for the wait my fans and new time readers. I had this whole chapter planned out and it seemed that it took a little while longer than I thought it would totaling out at 48,549 words and 69 pages. Also it is lambing season…for everyone, the reason why I make so many sheep references is because I, and my family, are shepherds…we grow sheep.

With that aside I hope that you enjoy this chapter and find it to your liking.

TTFN

Evilsheeplordthatsaysmoo

Disclaimer: I own nothing I speak of, even though many wish I did.

XxXxX Third Fist XxXxX

Warmth, like that of a cottage's wood stove, burning lazily into the night. Softness, like that of an Angel's wing, its texture rivaled by none. Comfort, similar to a mother's embrace and a Lover's kiss. How could something such as these assault the likes of Uzumaki Naruto? Why would they, would be a more correct observation. These questions and more like them paraded in his mind like a sick festival as he awoke in a bed that was surely not his own.

Do to his upbringing Naruto was always aware of his surroundings, even while sleeping or at least most of the time. So last night, when he fell asleep in the lap of his inner Angel, he was aware, if only in the slightest, when someone retrieved him and brought him into an unknown estate and laid him in an unknown bed, a bed that comforted him while he slept and not troubled his back. But do to Naruto's seventy-two hour non-sleeping spree, he could care less about were he was as long as he slept.

Now, morning came, draping her gold shawl over the world to warm it from the nights chilling breath. Light found every crack and hole, every shadow and nightmare; none could hide from her soothing glow or motherly gaze as she roused her children. She weaved through the streets, waking the soon to be open storeowners, and she ducked into the alleyways, leaving no shadow untouched. Morning came, it was time for all to awake and start their new day.

So this is how one would have found the blonde that was named Uzumaki Naruto, barely awake, sitting cross-legged on an unfamiliar bed still clothed in his long sleeved black turtleneck and black pants, the same clothes of mourning, gazing into the room that surrounded his weary mind and body. He rubbed the sand from his eyes and gazed…just gazed, taking nothing into focus and caring not whose room this was.

Robotically he dragged himself from the beds comforting embrace and walked through the doorway of the bedroom into the hallway, his back hunched and head down. Morning was indeed the worst part of the day, he concluded. Naruto made his shaking and unsteady way in search of the bathroom of the apartment to commence in the rituals that companied the sun of a new day. He enter the bathing room, which appeared to be two doors down from the 'master bedroom', and quickly went to relieve himself of his pent up discomfort. After some time he sighed in relief as the discomfort washed away.

Once he was complete with one of his set tasks, he moved so he was in front of the one mirror that stood directly across from the shower and just atop the counter with the sink at its feet. Gently, Naruto took the end of his midnight turtleneck into his clenched hands and wrenched it from his body, over his head, and let it flutter on to the ground like a dying raven. He stood before the mirror of that lowly washroom and gazed upon the labors of his life, his weariness washed away just like his nighttime discomfort.

There was more than one reason as to why Naruto wore that orange jumpsuit. He knew that the color would attract a lot of unneeded attention, both good and bad, but those that thought one was an incompetent fool would not take said 'fool' seriously, so he would be underestimated and he saw that as a good thing. Another reason was that it was the only thing for him would be sold to him, so he made the best of it, not to mention it was his favorite color. Lastly it had long sleeves and a high collar, which kept both his arms and his neck hidden from view; for if anyone saw anything that was hidden by his shirt, he feared that they would find it repulsing and cast him away like a leper, more so than he was now.

He gazed into the mirror and onto the scars that littered his upper torso, back, and arms, trenches that were dug by the fear of the Villagers. Vertical, horizontal, left, right, and center, his torso, arms, and neck were virtually an easel on which a butcher lost control. These were the souvenirs of his existence, and as he dragged his fingertips across each and every one of them, he remembered their stories and happenings. Most of the scars were situated near his heart, Seal, and throat, hence the high collar on every shirt he wore, while an assortment of scars and past wounds accumulated on his lower body.

His fingertips grazed one of the nastier wounds that formed a 'Y' shaped incision from both of his collarbones to the center of his sternum and then down to his navel, similar to that of a cadavers dissection incision; this had been the worst of the beatings.

It was the night that he could not bring himself to tell to that elder Hokage. It was no particular night, a night of no importance, when _they_ came for the frightened seven year old. The people in question ranged in about five separate men, three civilians and two Shinobi whose ranks would never be known. They barged into his dimly lit apartment one night with no warning at all and proceeded to abuse his malnourished body to the point that he blacked out. But the men would not have their prey sleeping through their ministrations, oh no, they woke him from his dreamless sleep, by pinning his small body to his kitchen table like a convicted criminal and by using smelling salts, and began anew. One of the Shinobi proceeded with an incision to both of his shoulders using a professionally craft multi-pronged Kunai and once the skin was free from its anchors all three of the civilians helped in prying the skin from his muscles. And so began Naruto's first biology lesson. But the cavity that held all of his organs was not their only goal for the other Shinobi preceded to teach the young blond the names of all the muscle, joints, and bones that made up his arms as well as abdominal and pectorals. At one point during the torture, the man with the multi-pronged Kunai had cut out his tongue, making the poor child to both drink and almost drown in his own blood, and kept repeating 'Fox got your tongue' after every meaningless question he asked the suffocating child about his anatomy.

He was broken from his thoughts by the silken hands of his tenant, her fingers caressing each scar just as he had but with more thought and emotion than his fingertips. Without warning memories of the prior nights happenings engulfed his mind and all Naruto could do as memories of their kisses and embraces registered was to blush a cute shade of rosy pink. Yet the scowl still held true that was worn throughout the entire inspection, but Yoko seemed to take no mind of it as she continued her caresses. Her fingers held a heat that was unknown to the young blonde, and shivers were sent down spine with each pass do to the sensitivity of the scars.

Yoko had grown extensively worried when Naruto had still to smile or laugh. She knew that Naruto had never been a morning person, but surely he would have made some type of jest or smirk by now. But as the time went on with him reminiscing over the scars on his torso, his marks as that of a leper in his mind, her worry grew ever so greatly; so she reached out to him to ease his thoughts and pacify his mind. She had been concerned that the trauma of the most recent events may have altered him greatly, and some of them had, so she reached out from within her prison to comfort the soul of her beloved.

Gently, Naruto clasped Yoko's phantom hand within his own and lowered it until both of their hands were held at his side so that way it would no longer touch his sensitive skin and person. It was strange having an action such as the caresses and embraces from someone who truly was not there, but having an Archangel that was once part of God's company that was labeled as a Demon of great and terrible power sealed within ones self could make all of these things…normal in a sense. Also, Naruto was having some troubles in how to process the touch of a woman, being as he had never been touched in a loving manner as this, but he would think on this topic in more thorough detail on a later date.

Letting her hand free, Naruto gripped the edges of the sink and cabinet top, his face tilted downwards so that he was looking upon the 'X' shaped scars that now adorn the back of each of his hands, slightly surprised that wounds he had procured from his mind appeared on his real living body. His shoulders began to shake and Yoko feared that he was once again loosing himself to the sorrows of his soul, to be lost once again to the seas of tears with no sail or oars to help him to the shore. The shaking increased but something was blocking Yoko from embracing her Mate, some kind a barrier that seemed to surround him from her and no matter what she tried she could not comfort him.

But comforting was not something that Naruto needed at the moment. His head snapped up and reflecting in the mirror was a grin so victorious that one would think that Naruto had become Hokage and slew a thousand damned souls to achieve it. His shoulders continued to shake but not from tears or sobs, but from barely restrained laughter. His grin grew even greater, his surprisingly long canines flashing in the light from above the mirror, and soon a soft laughter escaped from behind his grinning teeth.

"That which does not kill you makes you stronger, aye, Yoko?" Naruto asked as he did another once-over of the scars that made up his torso, taking a specific amount of time in gazing at the scar that circled the entirety of his right shoulder…the arm that had been used to beat Iruka to the brink of death.

"**Hai…"** her voice was surprisingly strong as she answered her Mate. Her eyes also rested on the scar of his right shoulder. How she ached to caress it like she had done to all of his other scars.

"Then I guess that I'm one step closer to protecting those I love, aren't I Yoko?" it may have been posed as a question but Yoko knew that he already knew the answer.

"Hai…"

He then grinned even more victoriously then ever before and brought his left arm up until he saw the watch that was now grafted into his body and soul. He chuckled softly, "Yeah…"

Yoko could not help but smile herself at the sight of the old Naruto being alive and well, his rest had come to an end and his awakening as great as the rising of a new sun. She was glad that he was himself once again…well, for the most part; what had happened days earlier would be seared into his mind until the day he died, but what he had said just moments ago rang within her mind:

"_That which does not kill you makes you stronger, aye, Yoko?"_

It was true not only to the wounds that he had accumulated throughout his life to his body…but also to his heart and mind. He had lost something far more important than just flesh and bone, he had lost his brother and instead of letting his sorrow and rage envelope his soul he overcame the trying experience, and in return he gained not only the true knowledge of lose but the drive to never loose someone like that again; the drive of a true Hero.

She let her eyes fall on the small window that allowed her to view the outside world and could not help but blossom with pride for her Mate. She smiled as she saw Naruto's victorious grin emerge anew, she smiled as he backed up from the mirror, and she smiled as he began to unbutton his pants.

Wait a minute…

Yes ladies and gentlemen, Yoko, leader of one of the most feared squadrons of Archangels and one of the most powerful beings in the universe and all planes of existence, could not tear her eyes away from the man that was undressing before her every eyes. And indeed he was a man. Off went his trousers and soon his plain navy blue boxer shorts followed; yet he was still unaware of the voyeur that lay gazing within his navel.

Yoko for her part was flabbergasted, completely and utter flabbergasted.

Since her power was far too potent to send into Naruto's system, seeing as it was Holy-Energy and not Chakra at all being that Chakra was a human made substance, if she was to pour too much her power into Naruto's system, say the amount to _change his physiology_, her power would cause his internal organs to shut down and cause him excruciating pain soon followed by death. Yes the Seal did dilute some of the Holy-Energy and yes because she was a warrior class Angel that had a phenomenal amount of regeneration rate to help out in battle that passed to her Mate making him immune to a certain level of the Holy-Energy, she could only pour so much out before it became toxic, hence why she had to purify her Holy-Energy when she manually flooded it into his coils during the Mizuki Incident.

Which brings us back to why Yoko was flabbergasted. She was currently gazing upon one of the key organs that kept the human race flourishing as it was, or as she would classify the appendage… 'The Hammer'. Her face was steadily on the verge of exploding do to the sudden intake of blood and if the pressure were not eased soon her head would explode. Just think if she did take the risk and began to augment his entire physiology…surely he would kill someone with his 'Hammer'.

Another rather peculiar fact about the being that was Kyubi no Yoko was that since she was sealed within a human and since her soul was now bound to that of a humans, she was now mortal and by association…human both in the physical sense as well as the mental and emotional sense thanks to the emotions that had been filtering into her cage since Naruto first began to comprehend the world around him. So if Yoko were to ever gain a body it would be a mortal body…a human body, the same as any other human's body.

So like any other human body, her body levitated the pressure build up in a simple way: by forcing the excess blood to be reverted to the nasal cavity and out of the body rather…quickly and forcefully. AKA: a massive nosebleed. In all respects she was a woman like you would find sitting in the desk next to you in school, or working at a ramen bar, or living just down the hall, so this occurrence was entirely natural and common.

Naruto, still unaware of the now unconscious voyeur in his inner soul, quickly hopped into the shower, which had been turned on since he had relieved himself, and began to clean his grimy body. Mentally he cursed the last three days since he was never given time to neither sleep nor use the restroom to either relieve himself or wash. It was not commonly known but Naruto was a stickler for cleanliness, both in the physical sense but also in the sense of ones living area. The only reason why his original apartment was always in disarray was that it came like that; chipped paint, horrible plumbing, and rotting wood would cause any apartment to look like a pigs sty, not to mention that no one would sell him the supplies need to renovate it.

His scrubbing continued until he grew lonely and bored do to having no music to listen to, that is until he remembered that the only one that could rectify this loneliness was just a mental 'Hello' away. While scrubbing he reached out with his mind until he felt the familiar warmth of Yoko, only to find his beautiful woman asleep. He mentally and physically stopped at the thought of calling Yoko 'beautiful' and 'his'; he was still new to the thought that someone found him a possible candidate to love. Tolerate, yes but love?

It was the love of family member, a younger brother, he reassured himself while nodding his head, and continued in his prodding the sleeping Yoko awake. "Yoko," he drew out the last 'O' like a small child that was being ignored by an adult. But still the fearsome Yoko stayed sleeping even though Naruto took no mind of her body's position or the remnants of the blood underneath her nose, not that he could honestly see it. Mentally, he prodded her again, "Wakey, wakey Yoko. It's time to get up." When still she had not awakened, the King of Pranking took drastic measures.

"YOKO," he continued even the first outburst had stirred the sleeping beauty, "GET YOUR HOT FURRY ASS UP THIS INSTANT!!!" he had not noticed what he had just screamed into his mind, but Yoko heard every word and was surprised if not a little excited at the statement, even accidental, that her Mate found her attractive.

Another rush a blood made its way to her head as she 'accidentally' gazed into the outside portal, man was she glad she was his Mate, and it took all of her strength to overcome the incoming pressure but she prevailed in a matter of seconds. **"You don't need to shout Naru-kun, I'm up. Actually I've been up remember, you asked me a couple of questions just moments ago…or did you forget?"** her tone was of mock accusation but as it reached the end it became one of smugness.

Naruto had the decency to blush at her comment as he did forget that she had answered his menial questions not more than five minutes prior, "Well…yes…then why were you sleeping?"

It was now Yoko's turn to blush…again. How was she going to tell him that she had gotten a before-release-showing of 'The Hammer'? **"Well you see…"** she sighed, seeing that honesty was the best policy, **"I kinda…passed out…"**

Naruto stopped his bar of soap he was using to scrub his underarms and quirked an eyebrow up in confusion, "Why'd you pass out? Its not like you had too much to drink or saw something perve-" he had been waving his hand left and right in a good natured manner until he listed the last option. His hand had stopped dead, and the bar of soap he had been holding dropping onto the floor of the shower to be pelted by the warm rain of the showerhead. He quickly looked down with wide eyes towards his downstairs only to see it free and open for passengers.

"OH DEAR LORD!" he screamed at the top of his lungs but before he could continue his triad about perverted female, Archangel…fox…women, he was cut short by the one he was going to complain about.

"Oh please, its not like we're strangers or anything. I mean, we are Mates for Heavens sake." She said offhandedly.

Now on hearing this, Naruto did what any sane man would do at hearing that the 'Demon' sealed within his belly was his Mate…stop dead and faint mere seconds later. Or would have fainted if said 'Demon' did not force him to stay awake by screaming his ear at ear popping volumes.

"SHIT, you weren't supposed to hear that yet," she screamed knowing that she was too late to avert the mistake.

Naruto was quiet and Yoko feared the worse as the seconds ticked on into minutes. To Naruto the soft 'pitter patter' of the showers water became as thunderous as the waters that lay hidden in some of the forests that surrounded the Hidden Leaf Village. His limbs began to shake and soon he was sitting upon the floor of the boxed in shower, his head resting against the glass of the shower door. His breath had become labored and strained for no more than five seconds and he had gotten it under control by now.

"God how I hate emotional roller coasters," Gently he began to chuckle and asked his inner 'burden', "How long?"

"…Since last night…when you were in your enraged and sorrowed state…" she replied solemnly, and if she had had fox ears and tails, they would have been downcast, just like his head and shoulders.

"So," his voice sounded tired and weary like last night, "We're…married, I guess would the correct term?"

Yoko could not force herself to look into the outside world as she answered his question, tears threatening to spill from her eyes at the prospect that she had caused him pain once again, "Yeah…you could see it as that…"

Naruto then drew his legs up to his chest, wrapped his forearms around them to keep them in place, and rested his head upon the watch that he wore. Like the shower above her container, tears flowed intensely the moment his shoulders began to shake and Yoko could not help but begin to hate her existence. Why was it that everything she did to help the man she had grown to love always end in sorrow and tears? Why, oh God, why?

But the most unpredictable Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village lived up to one of his many titles once again by exploding into joyous laughter to the point were tears of mirth rushed down is face and mingled with the water of the shower, before disappearing down the drain. Soon his fits of laughter died down, his head tilted up towards both the showerhead as well as the light that illuminated the shower, but once his mind caressed the form of Yoko as she stood dumbstruck in her cage, his laughter was reborn with an unknown vigor.

Yoko, for her part, just stood there, as her container was lost in his swells of mirth and merriment, and marveling at how this man processed information. She had to admit, though, that the being that was Uzumaki Naruto was one that never ceased to amaze her for he was indeed one of a kind.

Regaining the use of his legs, Naruto stood cautiously in the shower only to lean against one of the walls as all of his energy seemed to seep from his bones and down into the drain just like the water that bathed his form. Sighing once again, something he seemed to do much of as of late, he continued in his clean by focusing on the rat's nest that was his hair.

'_Life is a strange thing,_' Naruto began in his mind_, 'just yesterday I lost the one man that thought of me as a human being as well as part of his family…and in return a gain a beautiful woman as a wife…'_ Thoughts of how his new Mate looked filtered into his mind and he couldn't help but blush at the images. Even though Naruto was never one to ogle women on any level begin that he was to afraid to do so in fear of bodily pain, he was not blind to the amount of allure and pure beauty that surround Yoko's body and soul.

"One of the things that I have forgotten to tell you," began Yoko, blushing hotly by the compliments that she was hearing from her Mate, "is that I can hear everything you think…"

Naruto's nails stopped their assault on his scalp and it was his turn to blush hotly, "Yo-you can…can you?" he received a quick nod of embarrassment as a reply. "So you heard…"

"Yep…" but before she could stop herself, her voice took on a life of its own as the filter between he mind and her mouth seemed to have disappeared, "and just for reference your not to bad yourself, hot stuff!"

Naruto's mind grew quiet and the two sat within an uncomfortable silence, but soon the cleansing was complete, giving both of the two beings an event to distract their minds away from the embarrassing outburst. Naruto made his way out of the showers stall, and Yoko was relieved to know that the steam that had accumulated in the shower poured out of said shower in droves, thus blocking 'The Hammer' from her viewing pleasure. She did not think she could survive a third viewing. But with 'The Hammer' blocked she focused her attention on the scars of his person.

An ache of a different sort gripped her heart and she nearly doubled over in pain as she clutch her chest in fear that her life-giving organ would burst from the strain. She once again gazed as his scars that littered his body, scars that her rightfully her fault and tears poured from her eyes and a stifled sob choked her throat. He treated her too kindly, with too much sympathy and near love, yet she was at fault for all that happened to him. Even with all that was done the night prior, with all that was said and promised, shouldn't the man that suffered in her name hate her at all? Naruto, not knowing how, sensed her pain and her turmoil, but as he was to ask her what could possibly be the problem, her choked sob interrupted his voice.

"It's all my fault…" Naruto could sense more about to boil forth so he kept silent and allowed her to continue in her words. "Those s-scars…that loss of a loved one…" her sobs broke apart her speech into shards of what it could be, "…why don't you hate me… Th-those all but came from me…for me. I caused your pain; I am your burden, your curse! Why don't y-you hate me, yell at me, curse my existence?"

Again Naruto's demeanor switched to that of a serious and wise individual. His eyes hardened and his fingers curled around the lip of the counter top and cracks could be heard from the hardened surface as Naruto exerted significant strain upon it. His eyes snapped up to look deep into the mirror before him but he was not looking into the mirror at his own person but into his very eyes, into his very soul at the sobbing form of Yoko. His eyes grew ever so harder as he 'gazed' at her and when he finally spoke his voice was stiff and his words clipped.

"Yoko," he stated, "Shut. Up."

Her eyes grew wide at that one statement and tears spilled forth with a new fervor, but her heart grew settled that the truth came out. Even if he truly despised her, even if he hated her like he should, she would still stand by him and comfort him from the night terrors and the hatred around him. She would not lie to herself though, the thought of his hatred directed at her stung her like nothing else ever could but it was what she rightfully deserved. Last night, when she held him as he wept and as he mourned was just a fleeting moment in time it seemed, a wonderful breath taking moment but a fleeting one nonetheless.

"Yoko," again his voice touched her ears but as it did this time it was a soothing, kind, and teaching voice, "I…" he stopped himself and recollected his thoughts before continuing, "…deep down part of me truly does hate you…it probably will until the day I die. It hates you because of your own selfishness that cost me my father and cost the Village several fine soldiers and Shinobi… what you did could be considered childish, and in all honesty it was very childish…" he paused allowing his words to reach her core and twist her insides. All she heard hurt her deeply like a jagged stake that was driven through her heart, but all of it was true.

"But…" his voice tore her from her pain and brought her attention back to the man that glared into the mirror, "that part of me is deep, _deep_ down and very, _very_ small. You were not the one that held the knives when I was stabbed, or spoke the words that harmed me, or controlled the fists and feet that beat my body. You were the one that healed my wounds, cooed to me in my sleep, and chased away bad dreams." His eyes bored into her mind and into her heart, "What is done is done. The past cannot be reshaped. And even if it could I would not change a thing. What has happened has made me who I am, it has made me understand what I understand, and know what I know. What has been done to me by those of small narrow minds I would never wish on another person… " He went silent for several seconds as he gaze softened in the mirror, "What has happened allowed me to meet _you_…meet Iruka, and all others… I would not change what has happened…because if I did, all that I am, all that I know, all that I _love_ would be destroyed…"

The conversation ended with that last word of wisdom and Naruto pushed himself off from the counter top he was leaning against. Tears dripped from the corners of her eyes, he was truly one of a kind in his thoughts and being; he did not hate her, or at least not a large part of him hated her. Though he had yet to utter the words 'I forgive you' she was not the least bit worried, in time he would utter those three words but first those deep and small wounds must heal, wounds like boring glass; small but agonizing. She could be patient though; she had been for the past fourteen years so a year or two more was like a cough to those that lived as she did. She would continue to love him unconditionally, hold him as he slept, and protect him from all that threatened his being.

As quickly as he could, Naruto dried his drenched form and looked for an extra set of clothing to change into, giving Yoko the time to reassure herself and to understand his words. But, much to his chagrin, a change of clothes could not be found in the small bathroom and a curse was heard from the tired blond. So Naruto securely wrapped a white towel round his waist as well as draped one around both shoulders to ward off excess drops of water as they fell from his hair, and went out to see if he could obtain some clothing one way or another.

Naruto had been to this apartment on several occasions and had begun to wonder why he would have been brought to the apartment of his late brother, then he remember that the elder Hokage had placed all of Iruka's belongings under Naruto's ownership. So, he mentally concluded, everything that his eyes fell upon on belonged to him. All the pictures that graced the walls with smiling faces and of cheerful memories, memories that were not Naruto's, all the furniture that had once soothed the scarred Academy Teacher, or brought said man dreams of happiness, everything now belonged to Uzumaki Naruto. As much as that knowledge hurt Naruto, he couldn't help but smile at the thought that Iruka cared for him so much that he would leave all that he owned to an almost complete stranger.

By now Naruto had wandered into the living room on his quest for clothing. It was a small room with only a navy blue love seat, reclining chair, and a table that held a decent size television directly across from the love seat. A main coffee table lay between the love seat and the television and side tables sat at the edges of each seat, giving the room an air of comfort as well as a feel that it had been lived in, thanks to the books, papers and other such commodities that were litter on said tables.

Naruto stalled in his quest as he gazed at some of the commodities, lifting one up here and there in order to gain a better view of what the object was. Most were books of different fictional backgrounds while some were of popular leisure magazines, some, strangely as well as sadly, were of tests and assignments that had yet to be graded and corrected by the dead man. One slip of notebook paper stood out to the young blond so he quickly placed the orange paperback novel down and grasped for the paper.

It had, at one point in time, been the answer to the most recent hand out test that Iruka had the class take, or to be more specific, his answers. It was written out on a separate piece of notebook paper do to the fact that Iruka did not want to make copies for all of the classes that would be take that exact same test, so he had his students fill the test out on a separate piece of paper to cut down on printing costs. The test had focused on one question, and that question had been the importance of teamwork.

Naruto smiled at the memory of how confused he had been when assaulted by this seemingly simple question. Naruto chuckled as he remembered how he sat in his chair and just stared at the plain piece of paper, wishing that it would burst into flames so that he did not have to answer the, in his mind, impossible question. Finally, when Iruka had announced that five minutes were left until the tests were to been handed in, a strange happening occurred within his mind. His mind seemed to enter a sort of 'overdrive', or a better explanation would be that his mind began to work in at a speed that was new to the blond haired teen.

Not knowing what exactly he was doing at the moment, Naruto began to write upon the poor piece of notebook paper with a new fervor. All of what he wrote had just come to him and it consisted of how one did not, nor would they ever, know every type of Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, or Taijutsu and would need teammates in order to round out and complete another person. It also talked about how one could be outnumbered at one during a battle and if the person that was outnumbered had teammates with him at that time then he would a high chance to come out of that battle alive.

Apparently what he had written about the question had been correct, one of the few times at that, and seeing the one hundred percent mark written at the top of the page was one of happiest moments of Naruto's week so far. And to add icing onto the top of this cake, underneath the percentage was written:

'_Keep up the good work Naruto and one day, I'm sure that you will make an excellent Shinobi'_

An enormous grin worked its way onto his face knowing that his brother had faith in him where none others did. He quickly took his accomplishment, folded it, and went to place it in his pocket. That's when the young teen noticed that he had yet to procure the pocket in which to place it and by association the pants. Blushing cutely he continued his quest to find clothing but not before saying a small 'thanks' as well as pray to his dear brother.

His venture soon led him into the small kitchen/dinning room that was connected to the living room by an empty doorway. It too was small with a wrap around counter that helped keep the kitchen well organized as well as separated part of the dinning room and living room from said kitchen. The dinning room was also quite small having only one square table that would seat four comfortably, or, in Naruto's case, one…for a very long, long time.

"You mustn't think such ways, Naru-kun." Yoko chimed, her arms once again encircling her Mates naked shoulders in a warm embrace. It was good to see that she had gotten a hold of herself and had calmed herself from the moment's prior.

"And why shouldn't I?" asked Naruto, his lukewarm spite resounding within the dinning room, "I'm _married_ to you, which I guess is an upside," he said while wearing a light blush, "but this means I'll never be able to date another woman, and let us not forget that still do not have a body in which to sit and eat with. I'm also viewed as the 'Demon Child' so I have few friends, and it's only a matter of time before _those_ people find out I've moved into this place," by now Naruto was seated at the small table in a rather disheveled way with one hand shrouding his eyes from the ugliness of the outside world and the other waving around lazily, battling the annoyances with a lackluster performance.

A sigh once again wormed its way out of his lips. "My life sucks…" he cursed with a lopsided grin as the strange fatigue that assault his limbs when he learned of his entwinement with the once powerful Archangel pounced upon his form once again.

"It could be worse," Yoko whispered while squeezing him tighter, her mischievous nature once again awakening from its own slumber. Her hot breath sent shivers of excitement down his spine, and a slight moan of contentment could be heard as she traced her fingers across his whiskers, by far the most sensitive of all his scars.

"And how's that…little Angel," since Naruto was new to his 'relationship', though not dumb in the aspect of her subtle flirting, or at least most subtle flirting, he thought up a quick nickname that, in his defense, best described the woman inside of his soul.

Yoko had not been expecting Naruto to say such a thing, even with his mind half falling asleep do to her ministrations to his 'whiskers', but seeing that he was willing to 'fight back' was a good sign that he was not totally against their current predicament. "Well," her breath grew warmer and her stroking grew more…'in depth', "for one…I could let you only have…one wife…" Naruto's eyes widened to the point that Yoko wondered if they would pop out of his skull, as well as something else to…pop out, which caused him to hastily grab his towel from around his neck and to cover up his 'Hammer' before the devilish woman within his body could know of its 'awakening'. Too bad she already knew of its stirring…

"And for two, you could be like most Hyuga and all Uchiha by having a stick shoved so far up you ass that you can't speak to those under you in fear of showing them the end of the stick at the back of their throats!" If one thing was to be known about Yoko, it was that she could kill any mood at any time, no matter the circumstances.

Naruto promptly fell off of his chair at the importune joke, which he had to admit was fairly funny, and onto the floor in an unbecoming heap. Fortunately no one was currently in the new home of Uzumaki Naruto, otherwise they would have laid eyes upon the exposed rear of said resident as it stood out in the cool air like some type of flag. Chuckling and moaning in pain at the same time, Naruto cursed his tenant, "You suck, you know that…"

"Yeah, but it was funny!" Yoko giggled from within her cage.

Picking himself up from the heap that was known as Naruto, said man continued, once again, on his quest for clothing. By now he had reached the front door of the apartment in hopes of at least finding a coat or something to wear but instead he found a box, sitting exactly were one would place their shoes before entering another's home. As he approached the package he found that if was addressed to…himself of all people. _'Strange',_ was one of the thoughts passing through Naruto's head as he picked the box up from the ground and headed back to the dinning to open the paper wrapped parcel.

Once seated at the small dining table he cautiously began to unwrap the peculiar object. His caution was well placed seeing as on multiple occasions he had received anonymous 'presents' only to find that they were either booby trapped to explode once opened or contained a vile poison that was released into the face of the one opening it.

Once all of the brown packing paper had been removed from the square box a letter could be seen taped over the opening of the container, meaning that the card was meant to be read before the package was ever opened. Slowly and cautiously, with Yoko hovering over his shoulder in case anything went horribly wrong, Naruto proceeded to open the simple letter envelope. See no powdery substance or blades either shoot or pour out of the envelope signifying no foul play was in affect; he gently slipped his fingers into the slim and delicate wrapping that was the envelope and hastily retrieved the folded up piece of paper.

Watchfully, Naruto unfolded the slip of paper and found it to be a letter from the four ANBU that had made themselves known moments after the death of his Teacher turned brother. It seemed that it was written by one of the individuals with all of the members putting in their own thoughts and ideas, a thoughtful and thankful motion was all Naruto could think as he began to read the heartfelt letter.

_Dear Naruto,_

_You probably do not know of this yet…but we, the "Barnyard squad" (yes we know that it's a retarded name, we didn't choose it) have currently quit being in the ANBU program as of this morning. Now you may be wondering why this pertains to you or who we actually are, right? Well, we were one of the few squads that were given the honor of protecting you during your younger years…a task we failed miserably at, and for that we are gratefully sorry and wish for your forgiveness. As of now, we have quit being Shinobi under…Lord Hokage's jurisdiction, but we are going to continue to protect you for as long as you need it. We owe a great debt not only to you but to the Yondaime Hokage as well so we intend to pay it back using any means necessary._

_Also, you may have been wondering how you got to this apartment since you passed out on top of the Hokage Monument…that would be us. We were worried once we got word of how you had, for a lack a better words, bitched out our dear Lord Hokage…good for you! So we followed you into the forest and waited for, like, ten minutes and then you were out like a light. _

Naruto stopped from his letter. "Ten minutes? Wasn't it more like, I don't know, five days?"

"The time lines between the dream realm and the waking realm are two completely different things," said Yoko as she shed some much need light on the subject that is his mind, "Yours especially. Since you've had me 'living' inside of you for more then fourteen years, pouring minuet amounts of my Holy-Energy into you subconsciously, your mind and will have become one of the strongest I have ever come across. Not to mention the 'bleeding' of my fox like nature into you…"

"Fox like nature? What do you mean?"

"Well, my body is made up of three equal parts: Human, Angelic, and Fox. Since the Holy-Energy that made up of my Angelic side is far too potent to flood into your system, the Fox like nature took dominance in your body. Also, only small amounts of my Holy-Energy can enter your body at any given point in time, so don't look to use too much of my power, because your body will begin to tear itself apart from the inside out and your skin is burned off of your very body," Naruto cringed at the horrible images of his body being forcibly turned inside out all the while being conscious during the event. She soon drew him away from his own horrible death be continuing with her explanation, "On the terms of the Fox like nature, it means that your senses, such as taste, hearing, and smell either have already or will become more potent, and that other…more _interesting_ features will be or have been added to your structure."

It appeared that one of those interesting features was his curiosity as he pressed for more answers, "And what kind of…features are they?" But part of him was nervous about what kind of features would have been added to his being.

Naruto could just feel the allure, mirth, and coyness just radiate from her form as she once again chose that moment to drape her astral body against his, still naked, figure, "Well for one, your pranking, very fox like indeed… Another is your protectiveness of all those you see as family and/or Mates. And third…well this one hasn't set in…yet, but it will. It's the need for multiple Mates to sate your '_desires'_."

Naruto's eyes nearly popped out of his skull at that knowledge that he was going to need more than one woman in his life. "But that's unethical," he shouted into the quiet room that was his kitchen and dinning room. "It goes against everything to have more than-"

"Ah, but once word gets out that you are the heir to one of the most power Shinobi that graced not only Konoha but the world as well, the Clan Restoration Act will come into effect on your person!" Yoko quipped, her own Kitsune blood beginning to run hot and making her skin feel tight. "Harem, here we come!!"

Naruto grew quiet as he processed the knowledge that he would most like have to bed more than one woman for the sake of the damned Village he lived in, a Village that he would protect no mater what kind of misfortune they brought upon his head. At first he was against the idea of sleeping with more than one woman, but he knew that there would be no way around it do to how 'blood-line happy' the Konoha Village was. So gently he sighed hating how this day had started, "Big family…"

Yoko stopped from her inner ranting about love and its makings, and looked at her young Mate, "Huh, 'Big family'?"

"Yeah," he answered his voice strong, but it seemed that all of the day's happenings were beginning to catch up to him; and it was only seven-thirty in the morning. "I don't like the word 'harem', it makes it seem that I don't care about the women that will be in it… so we're going to call it a 'Big family'. I've always wanted a large family…so I guess this is my chance of finally getting one." He chuckled good naturedly and continued, "I just have to watch who I bite now don't I?"

"Bite?"

"Yeah, when I bite someone on the neck they become my Mate…don't they?"

Seconds of silence past before Yoko erupted in laughter. If Naruto didn't know any better, he would have sworn that she was currently rolling around the floor of her cage, laughing herself into a coma, "Bite, a bite?! Where did you hear a story like that? Some manga? Hah, ha ha!" her laughter only increased in volume, and by now the blushing Naruto knew that 'The Great Archangel Kyubi no Yoko' was indeed rolling around on the floor of her cage, laughing her heart shaped rear off. Over the span of several minutes her laughter died down to mere chuckling and giggling, before she continued with her explanation, "No, no, no, a bite is not what claims a Mate in your case. Its much simpler as well as dangerous…"

"_What_?" Naruto was now hanging on very word she spoke since his original thought of Mate taking was all but shot to Hell, his child-like nature getting the better of him once again.

"A kiss."

"A _kiss_?" Naruto asked with a slight air of disbelief in his voice. Honestly something as simple as that couldn't possible bind ones soul to another?

"Yes, a simple, lip-to-lip kiss. No tongue, just lips." Yoko confirmed, "This procedure comes from the Holy-Energy that is flowing through you at this exact moment. The lips are one of the most potent areas to gather both Chakra and Holy-Energy and if those lips come in contact with a person of your opposite gender, then the Energy will flow into them and the person in question will be marked as yours."

"What kind of mark? Like a tattoo or something?"

Yoko nodded from within her cage, "Yes, in a sense. In the term of Angels it's called 'Winging', but as it goes for Angels it is hardly used anymore and only those that have been alive from the very begin of our Lord God's reign know of it. Do you remember seeing me have six crimson and translucent wings come out of my back?"

Naruto thought back to the night in question, as fuzzy as it was, and nodded at her question so she continued, "That was when you 'Winged' me making me yours and yours only. 'Winging' causes the one 'Winged' to only think of the man that 'Winged' them whenever they try to think of a man. Also, any man that tries to seduce the already 'Winged' will be shot down faster then they can say 'Bang', and a link will from between the members that have been 'Winged' and the 'Winger'."

Naruto sat for a moment, processing the information that was just given to. "So…just any old kiss, right?"

"Yep, lip-to-lip contact, hence why it can be so dangerous."

"What consists of the link between the 'Winged'?" asked Naruto, making sure he knew all that could be learned about the 'Winging' process.

"Well…you won't be able to read their thoughts, if that's what you're worried about. You will be able, however, to 'feel' their emotions; whether they are sad, happy, anxious, anger, and so on. This will help you keep all that you love happy and content."

"Oh," was all that Naruto said to that as he continued to process the information he was given. Now he knew why it could be viewed as a dangerous ability, a simple kiss good-bye or for luck could take away the choice of the 'Winged', but it made the art of marriage that much more sacred and secure. A blessing and a curse all rolled into one… _'Good thing I'm not sought after like Sasuke or other popular people are…' _he thought bitterly.

XxXxX Elsewhere, within Konoha XxXxX

Within a room that was dimly light, four consecutive women, ranging in the age of eighteen years to twenty-two years, sneezed violently as they gazed upon the television set they were currently watching. Each woman's personality varied from courteous, to robotic, to tomboyish, and finally to feral.

One of the women rubbed the bottom of her nose in a tomboyish sense and proclaimed as she wore a vicious smirk, "You see that ladies, I bet some hot, masculine guy is talkin' about me, saying how ravishing I am and how he wants to whisk me off my feet off," she rose from the couch she had currently been seated at, placed one of her legs upon the rooms coffee table like some kind of ocean going explorer. She then placed one hand upon her chest in a royal gesture and she grasped out to the rising sun with the other. " And once I am held closely to his chiseled chest he will carry me into the sunset and plunder me like some pirate! And you all thought I would be the insane one that scared all of the men away from myself, so HA to you! HA!" and for good measures she burst into a victorious laughter, her short soft violet hair tied tightly behind her head.

"Oh, please," fired back the first woman's best and long time friend from the same couch that said woman had just vacated, "didn't you notice we all sneezed? Surely we are just coming down with some kind of cold or something… Well at least you are with all your late night bar hopping?" she said trying to get a humorous reaction out of her long time friend, her light earthen brown hair fell far past her shoulders in a tight pony tail as she smirk at her fuming friend.

But one woman, whose dark plum hair fell to her lower back, who had her nose buried within a book labeled 'Ten Thousand different ways to incapacitate an enemy with household kitchenware' interjected before the enraged female could pounce upon her tormentor, "It is the middle of the summer, chances of contracting a strain of any viruses or bacterium is slim. Also, one person thinking about another does not cause sneezing. That is completely improbable as well as illogical." Her voice was like that of a computers instructive voice, one of blandness and of unresponsive speech.

The last of the women, a dark haired woman, who sat within the crowded living room, crumpled up the Kleenex she had just used to clean her nose of any embarrassing situations spoke up as the voice of reason, "Yes, yes, we all know that. Now can we just continue with the situation at hand, I have little more then half an hour before I have to get ready to pick up my team."

"Yes ma'am," chirped the two of the more childish women while the other just nodded her head without taking her eyes from the book before her.

XxXxX Another 'Elsewhere, within Konoha' XxXxX

A soft breeze drifted into the room of a delicate flower as she was roused from her sleep by a cute sneeze. Her pearly eyes opened themselves and a minute blush dusted her cheeks at the memory that today she was now a comrade in arms with the love of her life. Bolting forwards and stretching her arms upwards and her legs outwards in order to regain the sensation from the long nights rest, she began to start her first day in the line of many.

What type of days, one might ask as they watched the indigo haired teen literally _bounced_ around her room finding all the objects that were needed to start her day. Why, the first day of Hyuga Hinata's 'Make Naruto fall in love with me and make me his' operation of course! Once she had fallen unconscious after the lunch with her love, she had begun to subconsciously plot how she would gain the affection of the oblivious blond with the help of her cuddly yet oddly creepy 'inner personality'. Sure the thing could not speak and the things she wrote her little white board were sometimes embarrassing as well as perverted, but she had some great idea's. Even though most of it would never see the light of day due to Hinata's shyness, that is she _hoped_ that some of the ideas would never see the light of day, they were still great ideas.

She was on her way to the washroom that was connected to her bedroom when she remembered one important thing, one thing that she did every morning with no exception. She quickly activated the one thing that signified her as a Hyuga, a Royal in the eyes of most citizens, the Byakugan, and scanned around her room to make sure that no one was to interrupt her daily ritual or find out her greatest secret. Seeing no one in the direct vicinity, she rushed over to her closet to commence in the ritual.

Sliding the clothes that were hung on their respective hangers to either the left or the right, she delicately removed the board on the back of the closet and set it aside as she gazed upon her greatest creation, treasure, and secret. It was a shrine that she had built for the boisterous blond over the span of nine years since her infatuation began when she was the age of four and Naruto the age of five. She was one of the few students that knew that Naruto was a year older then the rest of their class, but that did not stop her love for him.

Within the shrine lay pictures covertly taken by the Heiress herself, drawings drawn by the Heiress herself, and several stuffed dolls that had been sown together by, you guessed it, the Heiress herself. It was strange, she thought as she lit the two candles that framed the shrine, that the creation of this shrine had helped her flourish in two of her three hobbies: sowing and photography. Gently she picked up the first of all of the dolls that she had made in the likeness of the blond, clothed in orange pants and a short sleeve black shirt, and smiled fondly at it as she hugged it closely to her breast.

Along with flower pressing, sowing and doll making were some of the few activities that Hinata's late mother had taught her before she had passed away, and she silently thanked her obsession with Naruto, as well as Naruto himself, for keeping it alive. Her other fascination, photography, was also indirectly born from both her mothers death as well as Naruto, for you see Hinata had only one picture of her now deceased mother and she feared that the same thing was to happen to the love of her life. So Hyuga Hinata took it upon herself to catalog all that was Naruto so that he would never be forgotten…like her mother was.

So she looked upon her creation with pride in her lavender eyes. But she knew that time was short, so she placed her first Naruto doll, but not before kissing its smiling face, back in its original place, idly wondering why her 'inner personality' look exactly like the chibi version of her love, and placed the panel once again over her shrine. She made sure that the panel was secure, she didn't what someone like her 'brother', Neji, finding out her secret, and made her way over to the connected washroom to bathe. All the while she hummed, bounced and giggled wondering how her loves day was going.

XxXxX Another, another 'Elsewhere, within Konoha' XxXxX

"AH-AHCHOO, ugh…" muttered a small voice as she began to raise the large metal grate that protected her family's ramen stand from intruders once they closed.

"Are you ok, Ayame dear? You didn't stay too long at your mother's grave and catch a cold, now did you?" asked Ayame's kindhearted father, Teuchi, as he prepared the deep fryers for the income of customers.

Ayame threw a discriminatory glance over her shoulder at her father before continuing to raise the metal grate. Her, sick? Pish posh. Ichiraku Ayame _never_ got sick, not once in her whole life and she wasn't going to start now. Once the grate was locked and secured so that it wouldn't fall on unsuspecting customers, she made her way back to the kitchen of the small stand. A look of pure distaste directed at the poor man that was her father was all that there was to warn the middle aged man of the rant that was to come.

"Me? Get sick? When was the last time I got sick Dad?" she asked her father, hands on her hips signifying that she would like the answer in less than three seconds.

Having been on the receiving end of this type of look, Teuchi just chuckled at her antics and continued with his work, "Never, but you are at _that_ age so a father must ask questions shouldn't I?" He then leaned his back so he was supported by the kitchen side of the stands counter and looked into his daughter's eyes with a sly glint and continued with his arms crossed before his chest, "You could have been off with some boy, flirting and gallivanting around doing God knows what."

Ayame could only spit and sputter at her father's accusations. He thought _she_ was 'gallivanting' around with some guy? "In their dreams!" she said in a huff. It was true, on many occasions men would complement her on her beauty or ask her for dinner, but with every question a swift answer was given; a very polite or some times cynical "No thank you", depending on the person. If she was to be honest there was only one man that she would accept any invitation from, the man she was hoping to see today, but he had yet to give any indication of such an invitation.

'_Oh well, maybe today will be different,'_ she thought to herself as she continued with the preparations of the ramen stand, unaware that her father had a keen idea of who that one man could be.

XxXxX Elsewhere in the Elemental Countries XxXxX

A soft, almost inaudible sneeze was heard deep within a forest on the outskirts of an unknown town. The owner of said sneeze gently brought her hand up to rub the underside of her nose only to find that the mask, which hid her identity from all prying eyes, prohibited her from doing such a simple task. She felt the gaze of her traveling companion and Master, and titled her head towards the tall imposing figure besides her as he gazed down at her petite form. The look he held her in was one that could not be read, but the raising of one of his nonexistent eyebrows did show that he was curious as to why she sneezed. She shrugged her small shoulders, signaling that she did not know herself and continued onwards, leaving her Master behind. As they continued towards away from the near by town, the young raven-haired woman wondered if the saying were true; the saying of sneezing when someone was thinking of you in a romantic way. She quickly shook off the ridicules thought as she slowed her pace and allowed her Master to lead. No one even knew that she existed, besides her Master, so why would someone have such feelings for her. She was an abomination by her late Villages standards so it must be a cold she concluded as she and her master disappeared into a thick fog, to disappear from the face of the earth.

XxXxX At Naruto's new Abode XxXxX

Naruto did not know what the shiver was of, either excitement or of a fear, but what ever caused the shiver to run down his spine was not a good thing. That and he just realized hat the room was rather cold due to his…state of under dress, so the shivers could be from the cool air that flowed through the apartment.

"Hurry up and read the rest of the letter, I want to know if it was the butler that did it!"

Question marks seemed to float around Naruto like moons around a planet as he tried to unravel what his tenant had just said, but he soon gave up and went to read the rest of the letter so he could continue his quest for clothes.

_-We had also heard from the Hokage himself that all of Iruka's belongings had fallen to you, so we all thought it would be best for you if we brought you here. We're currently taking it upon ourselves to move all of your things (as few as they may be) to this apartment, and will have everything moved in later this afternoon. If you have any problems please go to room '184', which should be just down the hall, and ask its resident for assistance. _

_Also it has come to our attention that you most likely do not have any clothes to wear, and you most likely do not want to wear either your old ones nor any of Iruka's. But do not fear! Within this box holds four different changes of shirts, pants, and underwear, though we apologize that they are all the same style. We also thought it was time for you to have more… _appropriate_ clothing now that you are a Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village._

_I hope the clothes are to your liking._

_Your friends and Guardian Angels,_

_The Fox Corps (we thought we would get to choose our own squad name. What do you think?)_

Underneath the entirety of the letter were drawn little chibi style masks, each one dedicated to each of the ex-ANBU members; one ram, one goat, one boar, and finally one bull. Without taking time to wonder, Naruto tore into the gift before him like a ravenous dog would tear into a dead carcass. Being on the receiving end of few gifts, Naruto's heart was all a flutter while Yoko was marveling at the carnage and death of the poor box as pieces of it was thrown all around the dinning room.

Once the box had been completely obliterated he gazed upon his prize and tears of joy threatened to spill from his eyes. Like the letter said all four of the shirts were the exact same as well as the pants and the underwear, but the shirts are what had caused him to be so emotionally moved. The shirts were long sleeved and turtle necked, much to Naruto's relief. It was pitch black with a large red strip lead up each of the sleeves and connecting with the equally crimson neck. Also, a thick strip of crimson, similar to those found on the sleeves of the shirt, ran down from the red collar all the way down the center of the shirt to the hem of the shirt to connect with a thin red line that circled the entirety of the shirt.

The pants were all the same as well, being that they all were a deep forest green and had pockets that lined the upper thighs and lower calves; pockets that were undoubtedly meant to hold Kunai, shuriken, and other assorted tools. But the one thing that put icing on his cupcakes was the underwear. Now some might wonder why one would become excited about something such as underwear, but when said underwear was a dark orange and had ramen bowls dotted here and there…some could see why one such as Uzumaki Naruto would become excited.

All in all, it was one of the best gifts that he had ever received.

Quickly striping off the towel that he had worn for the entirety of his quest, much to the viewing pleasure of his tenant, he dressed with the utmost of care. The pants hung slightly off of his frame but not to the point of being meaningless or restrictive of his movement, but he made a mental note to find a belt to wear just in case. Even though he was not entirely proud of his chest, he was happy with the way that the shirt hugged his chest and arms, for if the shirt was comfortably tight like the way it was now then he did not have to worry about excess wind resistance when he either fought hand to hand or with weapons.

After placing the test that he had been holding into his back right pocket, he headed into the bathroom to view himself in the mirror and to get a good look at his new appearance. Needless to say he was not disappointed. In his opinion, as he did an entire once over from every angle, he looked like a true Shinobi by wearing all of the darker colors. But something was missing. Something very important was missing.

Smirking in pride at his new appearance and in realizing what was missing he headed back to the main bedroom by passing by the hall closet that held extra linens and cleaning supplies and the spare bedroom. Once he entered the 'master bedroom' he saw what he was searching for upon the tallest of the dressers. It was the battered and beaten forehead protector of his late brother, the one that he intended to wear in his new career. Its blue cloth had several rips and tears that only made Naruto smile with pride for his brother as he lifted it into his own hands. Caressing the sliver plate like a newborn child, a child that only he could nurture. He reversed the plate and proceeded to tie it to his own forehead, just as his brother did that night before heading out to find him.

Looking out of the bedroom window into the streets of the Village he couldn't help but feel proud. They had tried to stop him from becoming a Ninja, but they had failed in that regard. They had tried to destroy his body and shatter his mind with torture, ridicule, and isolation, but their attempts were all in vain. They had tried to kill him on more then one occasion, but he only came back stronger. And now with the knowledge of a hurt that transcended any physical pain, they had made him into something that they would all need one day.

A Hero.

The heated arms of his Mate once again wrapped around his shoulders and he began to wonder how he ever lived with out their firm grasp and smoothing texture. He could feel her scorching breath on the back of his ears and shivered with contentment as slight pleasure coursed up and down his scarred back, and once her fingers went to work on his whiskers he moaned.

"Are you ready, my Love? Ready to start this new day and to show those that thought little of you what you have become?" she was growing excited and anxious for his answer. Her breath came in short pants as she continued her ministrations, "Will you? Will you show them that you will no longer take their hate? That you will stand up for yourself? Will you? Will you?!"

His contentment caused his eyes to droop but his feral smirk and his sudden tightness of his slender muscles was the only warning to any enemy that would have attacked that he was ready for battle. "Yes…" his eyes drooped more as she continued to stroke his 'whiskers' yet his voice was firm. "Even though I will become their Hero and protector, I _will not_ take any more abuse on myself. Even though I love this Village with all my being and all who live in it, I _will_ retaliate when I see fit." His eyes then swept over the scars that he inflicted upon himself, the two 'X' shaped scars that had forged his vow to protect those he saw as family. "And those that I love…I will sacrifice my own life to save and protect."

Bolting upright he turned his feral eyes upon the clock located just above the door of the room and read quarter after eight. With little more then half an hour before class was to start and by association the selections of Teams, Naruto decided to have a bite to eat.

And he knew just the place.

XxXxX At Ichiraku's XxXxX

The walk to 'Ichiraku's Ramen Bar' had been a…strange one to say the least. For the most part no one seemed to bother him; it was like they did not, or rather _could not_ see him. They just passed him by as if he was a normal citizen of Konohagakure, or in some extreme cases actually treated him like a normal human being. This caused Naruto to raise more then one eyebrow at their actions but as soon as some one got a close look at his face, their hatred reappeared though it did have to wait for the shock to dissipate first. All Naruto did though once the insults began to be sent in his direction was smile and wave good-bye before disappearing down the street on his way to his favorite 'home-away-from-home'.

Another strange thing that had been occurring on his way to Ichiraku's was the looks that he was receiving from the female populous. They were looks that Naruto had never come across, well only from Hyuga Hinata but she was weird in his opinion, and so he did not know how to respond to such a look. So he did what he normally would do, smile and wave kindly towards the woman that sent him the look. But as luck would have it, it only made the women blush and intensify the look as well as the blush that they wore. It seemed that they only seemed to enjoy the smile that he would give them and soon he had quite a following, mostly of girls ranging from ten to thirty.

By now the young Hero-in-training was becoming fearful from all the women that were now following him on his walk to Ichiraku's, even though they walked a good four meters behind him. In all honesty the following was not big, maybe six or seven young ladies at most, but as more and more began to join the ranks of the approaching army, all ranging in the ages of ten to sixteen, the most volatile of all ages, he began to worry.

All the while Yoko was grinning like a Cheshire cat, a grin that took up the entirety of her lovely face. She knew that none of these recruiting forces would have a chance in Hell in becoming her Mate's Mate, but in just seeing the response to the new clothes he wore made her wonder what the girls that did mean something to him would react.

Volatile and hot-blooded, she hoped…

As the heated, no, _hungry_ gazes began to intensify, Naruto thought that now would be a good time as any to take to the roofs. So in one great leap, our young blond Hero-in-training was air born, and he finally got to see the faces of his pursuers. Like he had though, most of the girls were indeed around his age but this was not all of the pursuers. He spotted two that he thought were above the age of twenty-one, but that is not what sent chills down his spine. The looks… the looks of pure…_something_ or another is what sent chills down his spine. They were the same looks that some women sent towards the granite statue that was Uchiha Sasuke.

So he was indeed happy that he was now away from their grasps, much to the ire of the women he was escaping. But as he hopped from housetop to store top, and so on, he couldn't help but wonder what was causing all of these looks. Sure he was wearing new clothes but those honestly did not contribute to these strange and slightly disturbing looks?

Before he could look more in depth in the strange occurrence he soon found himself landing on top of his destination, 'Ichiraku's Ramen Bar'. Swiftly like the creature he resembled, he bolted for the front ledge of the establishment and threw himself off the story high roof and onto the ground. He quickly gave himself a once over to see if he had collected any dust from his landing, and seeing that he didn't he hurried into his 'home-away-from-home' to save himself from both the stares of the women and the hateful glances of simple minded.

Taking several backwards glances to make sure that none of the bolder of the women followed him into the homey restaurant, he proceeded towards the counter. But as he turned his head away from the opening of the store he was surprised to find a distraught Ayame sailing through the air as she leaped over the counter. Naruto was rooted in his spot near the opening of the shop as he could only gaze at the flying form of the Ichiraku waitress, and he was unable to dodge her plummeting form as she crashed into him.

They fell to the ground together in a heap of limbs and clothing with Naruto being on the bottom of the impromptu dog pile and the brunette drawing the long straw and landing on top of our young protagonist. Just before Naruto could reprimand the young lady he was assaulted with tear filled eyes and quivering lips. Her words came out in jumbles and her limbs shook violently as she gripped Naruto's dark shirt. Glancing up to the shop's owner he saw Teuchi giving him a sympathetic look, one that confessed that he had revealed something that he should not have. Raising a lone eyebrow as he comforted the young distraught girl, Naruto's eyes asked what had happened to cause such a composed young woman to fall into such a state of disorder.

Teuchi sighed and signaled him to bring his little girl to the counter to sit and collect herself, "I just told her of the untimely death of Iruka… I guess I should have waited until you had arrived before revealing such a sensitive bit of information to her…"

Naruto's lips formed into an 'O' shape as he understood her breakdown and began to comfort said girl with soothing strokes to her back. Iruka was as much a part of her life as he was his. Ayame had quit going to a civilian school a week after her mother's death more than six years ago, in order to help her father at their restaurant at the age of ten. At first Teuchi had been against the thought of his young daughter quitting school just to help him keep the small stand open, but that was the same day that Naruto burst into their small stand with Iruka hot on his heels. Once caught, Naruto insisted that they have a bite to eat before returning to whatever they were doing and Iruka reluctantly agreed.

While they ate, Iruka and Teuchi talked and that's when Iruka revealed that he was one of the instructors at the Ninja Academy. Teuchi knew that you not only had to be of Chuunin rank to teach at the Academy but also a Teaching Certificate so he quickly outlaid the situation at hand and asked if the scarred man could tutor his young daughter. Needless to say, Ayame graduated with better scores then any of in class student without setting foot in a classroom and in only four years.

Naruto had not known the whole relationship between the two but he knew that it was because of Iruka that helped Ayame get the education that she almost missed out on. He had by now lifted the quivering form of Ayame up into his arms with one arm supporting her under her knees and one supporting her behind her upper back, showcasing the strength that came from Shinobi training, and began to carry her towards the counter and stools of the small bar.

He tried to set her down on one of the red-topped stool but her quivering, crying, and stuttering was working at his very heart. So after the third failed attempt to sit her on one of the stools he just sighed and sat down with her on his lap, much to Teuchi's hidden joy. In all honesty Naruto did not know how to comfort a weep woman, and was finding it hard to think with her shaking body flush against his and her soft cries in his delicate ears. He finally concluded to hold her close to him and give her the knowledge that she was not alone in this endeavor.

Her crying finally began to die down and her leaf like form finally began to regain its strength. When her bones lost their shakes and shivers and when her muscles finally regained their mass, she pushed herself off of his comforting chest only to find herself less then five minute inches from her secret love's face. Her face erupted into a fiery blush and even though her mind told her to leap from his warm and safe lap she settled in looking away to fight her embarrassment.

"Wh-when did you ge-get word…of his de-de-death?" it seemed that her speech was still in the recovering stages, and Naruto did not know what to tell her.

Should he tell a lie, like the Hokage had to pacify the minds of the younger generation, or should he tell her the truth. Should he tell her that he had been present to the final moments of the man that was viewed as a brother to them? Taking a deep breath to calm not only himself but her as well, he came to a decision, "No one besides the Hokage and four others know this…but I…I was there when he was killed…"

Silence reined, a stunned and shocked silence. One could only be described as a silence from one of the deep pits of trauma and horror that made its home in Hell or Purgatory. The look of pure horror was dripping from Ayame's eyes as she clasped her hands before her mouth to catch any sobs that would threaten to escape. Teuchi had almost dropped the bowl of ramen that he had just finish preparing when he heard that his surrogate son had witnessed the death of his brother.

"But let it not be said that he die a coward," Naruto continued, as he tried to pacify the crumpling mind of his long time friend. He knew how emotional women could be so he was trying to give the best light to their departed friend.

Her eyes spilled with tears as they gazed into his cobalt orbs searching for any deceit or lie. She found none much to her relief, she was afraid that he was toying with her family love for the dead man, telling her things that she wanted to hear in order for her to feel relieved and at ease with his passing. "Then ho-how di-did he die?" she hated to ask such a question but she needed to know. She needed to know how her 'brother' died, how he fought, and how he lived.

Naruto tore his eyes from her leaking orbs and looked up to the ceiling of the shop, not taking notice of the steaming bowl of ramen that now sat at his side as Teuchi leaned against the polished counter top to listen in on the tale of his dear friend. Even though he gazed upon the tiled ceiling of the ramen bar, he truly did not see it, saw the burnt trees and the frozen flesh. He saw the torn limbs and snapped bone. He saw the tiger like man, his eyes full of defiant rage, and he saw those eyes glistening with fear as he ended the life of the man that took his brother's.

"All you need to know…is that he died protecting me from a traitor of the Hidden Leaf Village…" his voice was firm as he continued to relive that hated moment in time, but for some reason it no longer caused him sorrow and pain but determination and pride. He looked back into her eyes and saw that she was about to protest, to say that that answer was not good enough, that she needed to know more. His finger found his way onto her lips, stopping her questions and demands. "That is all you need to know…trust me Ayame…"

She heard the desperate tone to his voice and she saw that look in his eyes, the look of forbidden knowledge. She looked down to where his finger was and saw the scar upon his hand, that 'X' that showed all his vow to protect, and even though she did not know the reason behind the scars, she knew that she would get nothing more from his lips.

"Besides," his voice was low, like he was about to relieve his greatest secret to the woman in his lap, "if you continue to sit on my lap, not only will my legs loose what little feeling they have left, but people might think we're a thing…"

A blush of such intensity overcame her cheeks that she flew from his lap as if she was burned, and the laughter coming from her father was not helping matters. This humiliation was not to go unpunished, she plotted as she turned towards the smirking blond as he broke apart a pair of disposable chopsticks and began on his bowl of ramen.

"That wasn't funny Naruto," she spat with her hands held firmly at her hips. "And what are you insinuating? That I'm FAT?"

The stand went deadly silent and the air became constricting for the boy that was in question. He had learned some time ago not to comment or question a woman's figure, but it seemed like he had forgotten that very important detail. An aura of pure evil intentions surrounded Ayame's figure as she towered over Naruto's hunched and quivering form, her arms crossed and her eyes alight with an unholy glow of divine 'feminine wrath'. Shaking as if the evil Lord of Darkness was standing behind him and waiting to take his soul back to his sinister castle, Naruto turned to look upon the figure of a royally pissed off Ayame.

She delicately uncrossed her arms and began to stalk towards his cowering figure like a panther that stalked its prey in the dead of night. Silently she rolled her sleeve to the point that it was flush with her shoulder, showcasing to the world her surprisingly toned muscles. Her hand rose high above her head as she reached her victim and all Naruto could do was cringe in fear and wait for the bodily pain to ensue. But it never came.

He crack his fight eye open only to see her retreating form as she headed around the eating counter and into the kitchen of the bar. As she disappeared into the kitchen, with a slight sway to her hips Naruto noticed, she called out to him, "I think I got my point across, now didn't I?"

"H-h-hai!" he squeaked.

"But I think that you owe me…" she began as she placed on of her slim fingers one her cheek as she held said hands elbow in her free hand. A devious smile spread across her face and Teuchi, still leaning against the dinning counter quirk an eyebrow in amusement all the while having a good idea where she was headed. "You owe me dinner!" she proclaimed as she jabbed her slender finger towards his shell-shocked form.

"What?" he asked, nearly falling off the small round stool that held his body in midair.

The smirk grew ever so greatly, "That's right, a dinner. You didn't think I was going to let you get away with the fat comment, did you? That's what you owe me, a dinner for two!"

Naruto was currently winning the 'Best fish impression' as Ayame bounced back into the kitchen a _definite_ sway to her hips. He slowly turned his head to the father, the scary father, of the young lady that he was one day taking to dinner. He held a smirk so like his daughters as his palm held his chin elevated above the counter. That damned counter. As quickly as the look of shock had appeared it quickly fell and a look of anger and betrayal took its place.

The older man just smile, stood, shrugged his shoulders as he made his way to the kitchen to assist his loving daughter, "What, in all regards you were asking for it."

Naruto's glares then dampened like a wetted towel and stared at his cooling bowl of ramen. This day was indeed tiring and he felt that it was just going to become more tiring; yet it was only…only…

"Hey Teuchi-jiji, what time is it?" asked a confused Naruto.

Said man stop just before he entered his kitchen and looked back at the blond with a look of puzzlement, "Surely you can read a watch because you got one?"

Naruto grinned just like the middle aged man and his daughter had just moments ago, "Yeah, I got a watch…but it isn't meant for time. So what time is it?"

XxXxX Konoha Ninja Academy XxXxX

The trip to the Konoha Ninja Academy was uneventful for the young Heiress of the Hyuga clan. All she did was trudge through the streets of the Village she had sworn to protect with her resolve and her courage fading away like the fog that lives the fields when the sun rises. All of her determination that was born the moment her eyes registered the world had paled until only a fraction remained. Thoughts of how her young blond love would reject her washed through the lavender eyed girl in droves, images of how his depression would eat away not only at him but at her as well. She feared for her love now more then ever before.

Without knowing it, she found herself at the front gate of the Academy, the place that she had been striving for all day. But now as the shadows of doubt wrapped their chilling hands around her shoulders, she feared what was to happen to her love; would he wallow in his loss and drowned in his despair, or would he…would he not even appear today…would he…

"Incoming!!!" screamed a voice, its volume growing louder and louder with each passing second.

Hinata snapped her head and eyes from her shaking fingers towards the source of the voice only to see a dark blur, defiantly not the blur he was looking for, sailing through the air just above her head and crashing into the dirt path that led into the Academy. The indented line that it formed from its accelerated skid and the dust cloud that shrouded the individuals form were both testaments to the speed and the force that the person struck the ground with, a force that would render any normal human being hospital ridden for many days.

Quickly, Hinata's kindhearted nature kicked in and she made her way towards the incapacitate man in a swift run. But as she jogged towards him, she wished it was her dear Naruto even though she knew that it could not be, due to the dark clothes that the downed man wore. By now the large cloud of dust that masked his form had begun to dissipate, revealing features of the man's identity to the young indigo-haired Heiress.

Forest green, multi-pocketed cargo pants, not Naruto. A midnight black shirt with multiple crimson lines placed here and there, defiantly not Naruto. A high blood red neck, no, not Naruto. A flashing, cunning smirk that exposed glistening elongated canines, similar but not Naruto's. Three whisker like marks…on each…cheek…

"Hey Hinata-chan. You know your making me feel self-conscious with all of your staring…it's like your undressing me with your eyes…" his voice, his voice was that of her love's, and even with the embarrassing comments to match.

Her delicate eyes widened as she looked upon the 'new and improved' Naruto, and she had to say she liked what she saw. She understood why he wore the orange jumpsuit or at least the part where it was the only thing that he could purchase, but she couldn't help but…detest the bright color as it both hurt her sensitive eyes as well as made her love a living target. But the way the darker colors caressed her senses and accented his hair, smile and whicker like marks made her flush a red that was new to her spectrum. A red that went with her happy approval, along with some…_thoughts_… But what made her the happiest she had ever been in a long time was the smile, no the smirk that the young Hero-in-training wore on his face.

'_He's back,_' she and her 'inner personality' cheered, one with words and one with childish writing, _'He's back, he's back, he's back!_' Indeed he was back, his smile was back and the strange way he scratched the back of his sun dusted head. He was back!

Without think, Hyuga Hinata, shyest girl in all the newly graduated Shinobi class of the Hidden Leaf Village, or at least when her love interest was around, flung herself into the surprised arms of said love interest. Surprised by the sudden turn of events, Naruto quickly caught the incoming girl as tears of some sort spilled from her pearly eyes

'_Why am I the outlet for weeping women?_' wondered Naruto as he administered the same soothing back rubs that he had given the crying Ayame to Hinata.

"Maybe its your animalistic wiles…" yawned Yoko before drifting back to sleep, curled up in a small ball on the floor of her prison.

Naruto promptly ignored her in her sleep-oriented rants as he continued to stroke the delicate and slender back of the Hyuga Heiress. Her muffled words were hard to decipher even for his hearing, so he gently took her face between his callused hands and lifted it from his chest so he could see her stunning face. It was strange that he would just notice now that her face was rather striking, he thought to himself as he gazed upon her tear stained features.

"Now, now, Hinata-chan… Tell me what's the matter, and I'll try my best to make it better." His voice was quiet as he gazed into her reddened and puffy eyes.

Her hands shook as they reached for his face but stopped before they cupped his whiskered cheek. Her eyes, even though they were filled with the tears of joy, held a light of happiness that he had never seen before. Her lips trembled of unbearable words as a smile he had never seen before spread across her soft features. "You're back! You're back, you're back, you're back," her shuddered lips repeated over and over and over again, with each repeat the resounding joy grew.

Naruto was more than surprised to hear the ecstasy in her voice as she repeated those two little words over and over again. He had no idea or even warning that the young woman before him cared for him so much, so he was entitled to the shock that shook his system. Seconds past before a soft smile made its way onto his lips as he came to understand her words, how she was glad, no overjoyed, that he was back to old self and not the gloomy and downtrodden self of yesterday.

Gently he hugged her back to his body and stroked her hair, "Yeah… I'm back, sorry for worrying you…"

She nodded in his chest as she became to calm down, "I-I-I-I was s-s-s-so wor-wor-worried," she stammered out, her bodies tremors easing somewhat.

"I know, I kno-"

Just then the ringing of the Academy's bell rang harshly through the air like a cawing crow, and with the ring returned Hinata's to her normal thought processes. He body seemed to stiffen and her head rose from its position on his chest, her eyes wide with shock. It finally registered in her indigo haired head that she was pressed up against the form of her secret love, and she reacted in the only way that Hyuga Hinata could.

She 'eeped' loudly and sprang from his fallen body, only to land on her feet several feet away and then trip over her own feet. But before she could land on the ground, Naruto was to his own feet and had caught her descending figure, cradling her shoulders in one of his arms as he held her just inches from the ground like some type of waltz dancer. She was currently curled in on herself as she waited for the ground to crash into to her, her eyes screwed shut, but when the ground never met her she crack one eye open experimentally. What greeted her was the face of her obsession a mere inch from her own, or rather the _lips_ of her obsession mere inches from her own. A red hue like none before it erupted across her face and she couldn't stop the remnants of blood to drip from one of her nostrils, but it was so minuscule that it was hardly noticeable.

"You should be more careful, Hinata-chan. I might not be here next time to catch you when you fall," said Naruto as he lifted her to her feet.

They stood at the gate of the Konoha Ninja Academy in an painful silence, one looking towards her feet, her fingers assaulting one another in a jousting duel, and the other just stood there with his hand behind his head. That is they stood there until our blond Hero-in-training grew bored and grasped one of the battling hands and led her towards the school.

"Not to be mean or anything, Hinata-chan, but I don't think it's a good thing to be late for class on a day such as this," Naruto exclaimed as he drug to towards and into the school that had ruled their lives for the better part of for over three years.

Blushing at the contact of her hand to his and holding her free hand to her mouth to ease her breathing, she nodded and let her love drag her off to their old classroom. As they ran down the halls of their one time prison, Hinata couldn't help but wonder what had happened the night prior to form such a man as this. What could have caused her love to glow with such a light or to speak in such a tongue? What event triggered this _wonderful_ transformation?

"Well if it isn't the little cry baby?" spoke a voice full of malice, contempt, and spite as they rounded the last corner to their classroom.

There, in the center of the hallway that led to their classroom stood one of their fellow students, but the word '_fellow' _did not apply to this individual. He was a spiteful person; tearing apart individuals by bring their faults to the surface. He had on many occasions made many of their female classmates burst into tears because of his harsh words and his discriminatory fists. He had no friends and the only people that would grace his company were those that were afraid of his words and fists and tried to get into his good graces to escape bodily harm.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he saw the form of his one time classmate, "Hello Oshima…" his voice dripped with distain and the young fragile woman that held his hand couldn't help but 'eep' softly and hide behind her protectors back. Memories of the gorillas torment were fresh in her mind, his cynical laughter and his harmful words still hurt.

"What no hugs Retard? I'm crushed I thought we had something," his laughter reminded Naruto of all the times this creature had humiliated him in front of his classmates and few friends.

As the larger blond dyed teen descended upon them, two lackeys at each shoulder, Naruto placed himself in front of Hinata more so. He had witnessed the scornful words and harmful actions of this man towards the timid and kind hearted girl and wanted no more of it. Oshima saw this pitiful action to protect the Hyuga Heiress and licked his small lip ring in amusement

"Why you protectin' the girly, Retard?" asked the towering figure. Oshima was one of the tallest students and used his size to push smaller students to do his biding. Also because of his size he was formidable in Taijutsu and anyone, with the exception of Uchiha Sasuke, who went up against him in any kind of match usually fell to his powerful fist strikes. On one occasion he caused a fellow student to be sent to the Hospital after a mandatory sparring match. "And here I thought you preferred men over women in the way you were crying yesterday."

Oshima erupted into guffawing laughter with his two cronies following seconds behind him. Naruto just rolled his eyes at the pathetic attempt at his sexual orientation joke, he had heard much better in his time and much more hurtful also. Hinata on the other hand…as she peeked over her protector's shoulder to look at the laughing form of Oshima, she was disgusted and enraged. How dare this person, who knows nothing of this sweet, kind, loving, attractive… hot… smexy… man, insult him in such a way! As Oshima began to make weeping noises and began to spew forth phrase of Naruto's undying love for the dead scar-faced man, Hinata was beginning to grow _truly_ angry, an anger that no man was safe from. But when Oshima, while portraying Naruto, began to speak of Naruto's and Iruka's night of passion, she lost it.

Bolting behind her shield she barked, "You're nothing than a sad excuse for a man by doing stuff like this you, you," an image of her chibi self scribbling fiercely on her whiteboard appeared in her mind, and said personality soon reversed her board and waved it before her companions eyes, begging for her to scream out the word she had scribbled on her whiteboard, "BASTARD!" Her voice was strong for the first time in a long time and the three apes stopped what they were doing to look upon her panting figure. But once all eyes were on her, especially those cerulean orbs of her love, so filled with surprise and pride, her courage deflated like a punctured balloon and she quickly hid behind her shield and knight once again.

Oshima, on the other hand, was not filled with pride like his prey was, but now it seemed like he found a new prey to torture and to torment. Standing to his full height he stormed towards the two, "Wha'dja say you bitch! C'mere and I'll teach whose a true man," his hand shot out towards the cowering girl, intent of a vile sort radiating off his body, but his hand was caught by a _very_ upset Uzumaki.

"What did you call her?" it was not a question that hissed from his lips but a demand, and pain would be brought to those that did not comply with said demand. Naruto's grip on his extended wrist grew harsher and harsher as the seconds ticked by.

A growl escaped Oshima's clenched teeth as he tried to reach the woman that had insulted him, "You heard me, you Retard!" again he made another pass of capturing his victim but Naruto, using surprising strength, pushed back his assaulting, as well as repulsive, form. "You want to fight you Retard!?" screamed the false blond as he raised his fist towards Naruto.

"Yeah," hissed Naruto his eyes dark with anger and his body tense with barely restrained rage. This was new for all that knew Naruto, and all wanted to know what would bring the loudmouthed child to take such a course of action.

"Hinata-chan," Naruto called over his shoulder, "You're about to see something that few people know about …a secret, if you will. Because you're…important to me."

Hinata was stunned as she watched his form stalk towards Oshima, and she could help but cheer on the inside as her outside heated to the point of spontaneous combustion. She was important…to her Naruto-kun…

Oshima was bouncing from foot to foot, waiting for this imbecile to attack him. "Hurry up Retard, I don't have all day." His barking was making Naruto even more enraged, and Naruto couldn't wait to put this dog in his place.

"Allow me to slip into something a little more…_comfortable_," exclaimed Naruto as he brought his left wrist before his darkened body.

Sliding the crimson and black clothe of his sleeve aside he gazed upon the black, gray, and burnt orange surface of his Omnitrix. His right thumb came to press the small round orange button that lay on the side of the watch, thus activating the selection system of the Omnitrix. Once the selection platform had been raised and the shadows of the Heroes appeared Naruto rotated the plunger until he found the shadow that he had been looking for. Swiftly like the creature that he was associated with, he brought his right hand down upon the plunger and embraced the blinding orange light that encompassed his form, and began his transformation.

Naruto cringed as the plunger sank deep into his flesh, melding him with the spirit of the Fist he had chosen.

He gasped in surprise as his arms began to lengthen and strengthen like muscles of a horse and his hair began to darken, hair like ink from an authors well pen. Power crackled through his body and rocketed down towards him feet, incasing them in dual shoe like, engine power, contraptions. His forest green cargo pants melted into his body and slick blue jeans soon erupted from his skin, all the while his long sleeved turtleneck was washed from him body only to be replaced with a form fitting black tee. Just a quickly, a sturdy black coat incased itself over Naruto's upper body, shielding his bare arms and protecting his chest. He clenched his fists in anguish as fingerless gloves, like those wore by street fighters, wrapped themselves around his hands and lower knuckles. He clenched his teeth in agony as his 'whiskers' melted off of his face like warmed candle wax, and hissed in pain as his canines shrank back to the size of a normal humans. To finish off the whole transformation, the white hourglass like emblem tore through the back of his right hand, its circumference taking up the entirety of his right hand.

To those on the outside, the blinding light dissipated to reveal someone that was defiantly not Naruto. His hair reminded those that saw it of a bird's nest, and his eyes pierced their souls like those of a predatory hawk. His muscles, though hidden mostly by the coat he wore, could be thought of as coiling like trained snakes. He stood eye to eye with the pierced tormentor; due to the Air Trecks that he wore; yet he held no fear. If anything he his form radiated with a sense of power and arrogance.

"You've got to be kidding me," guffawed Oshima as he took in the new form that was Naruto. "You plan on fightin' me with a simple Henge!? Hah."

The newly transformed Naruto just smirked at Oshima's laughter, "Yeah I think-" Oshima chose that moment to blink to levitate his eyes of some accumulated tears from his eyes, and soon heard his victims voice directly behind him, "- I am…"

Whirling around, Oshima found Ikki standing directly behind him, stationed between his two cronies. '_What speed!_' exclaimed Oshima mentally as he shot Ikki's previous position several quick glances. It was a good three meters from where the Air Treck wearer had once been standing, and to move directly behind him in a blink of an eye? How was that possible?

"Seeing as we are both on a time table," Ikki explained as he began to glide towards his shaken opponent, shaking him to the core even more, "I propose a…a little game." The two men on stood toe to toe, literally, one with a hideous frown and one with an arrogant smirk.

"What kind of game?" asked Oshima, puffing his chest out considerably to make himself appear to be large than he actually was, similar to the actions of a farmyard rooster.

Ikki smirked widened, "Jan Ken Po…"

Oshima quickly deflated and sputtered, "Jan Ken!? Are you serious?"

"Extremely… A two out of three match, winner of each match gets to punch his opponent anywhere he may choose," Ikki laid out confidently, his fingers twitching at his side.

Once Oshima heard that piece of information he grinned manically, "Really now?" Ikki nodded an affirmative his smirk never wavering, "Alright, deal!" Oshima's sneer grew as his opponent entered a stance, one hand cradling his clenched fist as he crouched, his punches could crack stone and shatter walls; this fool was doomed!

The silent Hinata could only shake with fear at the display before her, as the two warriors chose their stances and prepared for battle. If this was the secret he was telling her about she thought little of it, and grew frightened that his wings were going to burn because of his confidence. To her it seemed like a normal Transformation, a Henge, an illusion that masked ones true self, changing nothing and altering nothing; not muscle structure or bone alignment, nothing. So why would her crush bet very thing on this simplest of Shinobi tricks? But she remembered the speed he had displayed, speed that her sensitive eyes could not see or register, and a thought touched her timid mind; _'Maybe there is more to this…change then meets the eye…' _

"Jan…"

Her thoughts were shattered by the chant, a chant that children sang for enjoyment, and fear was born anew and fiercer then its last birth. She grasped her hands before her breast, her throbbing heart, and prayed that her love would prevail.

"Ken…"

She wished to shut her eyes; she truly did, to rid herself from the image of her loves broken body and bloodied form. But…that emotion… that damned human curiosity forced her eyelids wide and honed her ears to the battle before her forcing to watch, to drink in, the events that were about to unfold.

"Po!" One threw a hurled fist, a rock, while the other threw two extended fingers, a scissor.

"Heh," laughed Oshima as he as he reared his fist back to claim his prize, "Look…THAT WAY!"

His clenched fist struck the exposed side of Ikki's face like a motor powered sledgehammer. Ikki for his part grunted in slight pain, his head only recoiling slightly, much to Oshima's shock and horror. Those hits should have reduced his bones to powder yet the teen before him acted as if it was a woman that slapped his face? Why?

Ikki tilted his head to the right a spat out a glob of saliva and blood. He dragged the back of his hand across his lips to ensure that all of the blood and the excess spit were removed before his smirk returned. "Nice tap," he said as he returned to 'Jan-Ken' stance, his eyes flashing dangerously, "Now, shall we continue?"

Oshima scowled at his display, his mockery of his person, and entered the stance as well. He had been surprised when the 'Retard' had recovered from one of his better punches so easily, but he soon remembered that this boy before him was the classes living punching bag, so it was meagerly acceptable that he recover as quick as he did; he had gone through quite a few beatings it was to be understandable that he had a high pain tolerance.

"Let's," Oshima hissed through gritted teeth.

Hinata, though, had her breath stolen from her lips. That punch…that punch should have… it should have reduced his face to a bloody heap of shattered bones and torn flesh, but he…he _withstood_ it. Not only that but it seemed to have little to no effect to him whatsoever. New hope blossomed within her chest and her eyes widened marginally, maybe he could win… '_No_,' she scowled herself as her chibi self waved her white board with the same word written on it, '_he will win._'

"Po!" exclaimed the two warriors.

Oshima looked down at his curled fist, his rock, in vicious pride, and he couldn't wait to crush his opponent's flat palm, paper… No, wait…

"Look," Ikki's voice sang as he reared his own fist backwards, "THAT WAY!"

Like lightening, Ikki's fist struck the center of Oshima's face, directly on his nose, and a sickening crunch could be heard echoing throughout the vacant hallway. But that is not all Ikki's punch did to the poor bully. Not more than one second had pasted since Ikki's fist made connect with the posing boys face when said boys body was propelled more then three meters backwards. His flying form had zoomed past Hinata's still form by only inches, causing her hair to whip around her skull by the wind that had resulted in the bullies flight, and once Oshima's body had come in connect with the floorboards, his batter form proceeded to crash through the wood paneling like a overturned ox.

Hinata slowly, cautiously, rotated her head and eyes until she saw the devastation that the transformed Naruto's fists had caused and she was surprised to say the least. The destruction was simply amazing; she had to admit as she stole glimpses of his pulverized face from in between his cronies fussing. She was not one for violence, bloodshed, or meaningless aggression and because of such she turned her head away from the beaten form of Oshima, not acknowledging his two stooges hauled his body up from the broken and shattered floor boards and began to head towards to the exit and mostly likely to the hospital. All the while the two simpletons spewed forth curses and obscenities as they ran from their leaders better.

Hinata had her back towards their retreating forms, and her eyes shut, praying that his recovery would be a swift and painless one; she knew he had reaped what he had sown but that did not mean she wished it upon him. Her chibi self thought differently as she surrounded herself with whiteboards with horribly painful injuries and nasty words written all throughout the surfaces. A strange thing was that if Hinata was to be honest, deep down she was happy for what happened to the nasty man and wished that he could have stayed longer for his punishment to be rightfully given.

Her eyes drifted open and she was greeted with an eye-popping sight; Naruto turned Ikki less then an inch from any given part of her body as he inspected her for any injury from Oshima's flying form. She 'eeped' loudly and jumped away, while her sudden movement caused her inspector to jump back as well and fall flat on his rear. Both looked at each other, ones face the color of a ripened apple and the other with a look of shocked confusion, and a silence that was deafening embraced them both. Seconds past within the uncomfortable silence until a chuckle was heard, followed by a weak giggle, and before long the two individuals were laughing outright.

Suddenly a beeping, and wailing warning siren pierced the air and both Ikki and Hinata stopped their laughter to gaze that the emblem that grafted itself onto Ikki's right hand as the red blinking and the beeping coincided. As the beeping increased in speed so did the red flash, until Ikki's form was engulfed in a blinding red light, blanketing the teen within its confines, and as it died, revealing the original dark-clad, grinning Naruto.

"So," he asked from his position on the floor to the wide-eyed Heiress, "what'd ya think? Pretty cool, huh?"

Her shock overwrote all other emotions at the sight or her Naruto-kun sitting there in front of her when a strange man, a different Naruto, had been sitting in front of her a few moments ago. But as she saw the excited smile on her loves face, she couldn't help but have her shock slip form her body as his smile warmed her. Walking forwards, she came upon his sitting and, she observed, tired form. She stooped down and extended her hand to his, in hopes that he would take her helpful gesture, but in all rights she knew he would.

Once Naruto saw her extend her hand to help him to his feet, he smiled brightly at the kind girl and took her hand. He marveled at the softness of her flesh and whiteness of her skin as she helped him to his feet. And as they stood face to face, he couldn't help notice the beauty that she held in the palm of her hand. He wondered as he gazed into her eyes for that brief instant before he took her hand and led her towards the classrooms door, why she would care for someone like him, if her earlier actions were any hint on the matter.

"Come, we need to go to class. Don't want to be late for our Senseis now do we?"

"B-But, Naruto-k-kun," Hinata stuttered as he led her to the door of their classroom, her heart racing at the contact of their flesh, "wh-what was th-that? That w-watch?"

He stopped as his fingers entered the grove of the sliding doors handle, contemplating on what he should tell her. He squeezed her hand once before letting it go, "How about I tell you over lunch," he said as he wrenched the door open and entered the classroom, leaving a hyperventilating Hinata behind him. She soon followed him in to the classroom a subtle bounce to her step.

Once everyone recognized who had just entered the classroom of graduates all grew deathly silent. Naruto could tell that all within the room were itching to persecute him and he welcomed it, but none rose their voice against his presence knowing full well what the elder Hokage would do if he got wind of their questioning his authority. So, little by little, all conversations that held put on hold due to Naruto's arrival commenced once again, but their topics did not vary like they had moments ago. No they all centered on the Uzumaki child and his 'special' treatment.

Naruto was not deaf to their harsh words as he strolled by using the open room of the lecture floor as his walkway, Hinata still close at his heels. Inside he welcomed all of their words, all the hate and the disgust they had for him, for he knew that no matter what they said about him or how cruel their rumors could be, he could survive it like he had in the past but more so now that he had someone that loved and believed in him. He also picked up on some more…_interesting_ conversations from the female portion of the class, or rather the 'non-Sasuke Fanatic' females. Their words confused him, as if they were speaking in a completely different dialect them what he used. They discussed how he was 'smokin'', yet he was not on fire. They talked about how he was 'finger lickin' good', yet he spilled nothing on himself in order to lick off. And some spoke of how he looked 'good enough to eat'…now Naruto had heard some evil terms directed towards himself, but to have someone say that the wanted to eat your flesh, cannibalism Naruto thought it was referred to as, was a new one.

But their eyes were what sent shivers down his spine. Their eyes gazed upon his form _hungrily_, and he could have sworn that some of them were _actually_ undressing his body in their minds. One part of Naruto's mind liked the idea of being viewed in such a way, to be wanted by others…but this was not the kind of want that he wanted. They only viewed him as some type of prize, a show dog of sorts; he could read it in their eyes as the looked at his new self, his transformation. But he knew just yesterday, or the day before that, they thought of him as the 'Retard', the dunce that he could not help but be since no one gave him the time of day to be anything but. Well, one man did but he was now buried deep within the ground, to slowly be forgotten.

He gazed over their lecherous smiles in search of a seat in which to rest his surprisingly tired form. Today seemed to contain so much within its arms, yet it was only, he gazed at the clock fixated on the wall, nine-fifteen AM. He sighed; he hated to be tired and sleepy.

"Ano…" the voice of the timid Hyuga Heiress stirred him from his reverie and he turned to watch as she jousted with her two front fingers like only she could. "There's a place over there for you to sit," she said with surprisingly no stutter to her voice, yet it was nearly inaudible.

Naruto looked to where she indicated and saw that it was the seat right next to both Sakura, and Sasuke. He could see why Hinata had pointed it out to him since the seat next to Sakura was the one that was open, giving him the perfect chance to sit next to the 'love of his life', and he was half tempted to do so. Half, being the key word. He was suddenly hit with all the memories that consisted of both him and the pink haired woman, and found that few were pleasant. He had said that he was in love with the cherry blossom, but if she were truly in love with him in return, why would she physically abuse him? Why would she belittle him in front of others, and call him names when said names had no merit to them? She wouldn't if she loved him like he her. If you were truly in love with another person then you would not physically harm them or belittle them; you would care for them and lift them up. You would help them with their faults, not exploit them.

That's when Naruto realized that…there was nothing there, no love and barely even a friendship. He sighed again as a piece of him seemed to…seemed to fall away. Its was like a burden, a painful burden as it was, had been lifted to a certain degree; no more worrying if what he was about to say would bring him pain, no more wondering if she was going to help you when you asked or join you for a bite to eat. But as the weight fell from his shoulders, it felt like it took something important with it; a piece of him, if you will. He had truly been in love with the cherry blossom; he really had, but… A silken hand touched his, if only for any instant, while arms embraced his shoulder and a sleepy yawn caressed the tip of one of his ears.

Naruto looked at the blushing, downtrodden Heiress. Her eyes faced towards that ground and they held a sad and depressed light to them; for what reason, he did not know. Sparring one more glace of saddened acceptance towards the seat, Naruto turned back to the porcelain skinned Heiress, a semi-forced smile plastered onto his face like that of a Clowns. "Nah," he chirped happily, "I think I'm going to take a break from Miss Pinky over there." He jabbed his thumb in the direction of his one time crush, which had still not noticed his existence in the room yet.

Hinata looked up from the floor to gaze upon the smiling face of her crush but knew that something was wrong about the smile. It was…strained… forced. A smile she saw far too often, a smile that ruled his waking hours and haunted her sleeping hours. But she soon put the idea of the smile aside when she analyzed what he had just uttered; 'I think I'm going to take a break from Miss Pinky over there.' Her eyes lit up briefly and she quickly sent of glance at the said 'Pinky' who was still trying to coax out words from the silent statue that was Sasuke. He had said that he was going to be taking a break from the pink-haired Siren, ahem, woman. She almost jumped for joy at that revelation. Almost.

"Also," her blond crushes words shattered her small mental victory party and she averted her gaze away from the cherry blossom and onto the comically serious face of her beloved. When he continued his words his voice was quiet and slightly fearful, "the girls around Sakura are starting to give me the shivers." He cringed and shook slightly to prove his point.

Hinata once again looked over his hunched shoulders to see what he spoke about. Indeed some of the more _sane_ females in the class, the ones that took their career choice seriously as well as did not hound on the last of the prestigious Uchiha clan, seemed to have fallen into their curse; the woman's curse of becoming a Fangirl at one point in time, and it seemed that the girls had chosen their target. Hinata herself instantly recognized the stares and the glances that the girls were sending towards her long time love interest, the stares that she would send him when his back was turned, and an instinct churned within her like a caldron of bubbling oil.

But Naruto's hand on her slim shoulder knocked her out of her protective reverie, and his calm yet pleading sapphire blue eyes forced her to relax if only a little. "So, do you think that there's somewhere where we can both sit?" he voice almost seemed to plead to her, and she couldn't help but become a tad bit excited. She had always, secretly of course, wanted her Naruto-kun to use that tone of voice with her, so she took the next three seconds to indulge in the fantasies that her 'inner personality' as well as her shy mind could produce.

The three seconds came to an end for faster then she wanted them to though, it had just come to the scene where she brought out the feathers and the furry handcuffs too, and she refocused on her love. Blushing because of the images that continued to parade in her skull, she looked around the room for two free seats. Her lavender eyes soon found the two objects in question at the far left of the room, directly in the front row. One was her normally assigned seat, hence why it was still open, and the one directly to the left of it was the seat that belonged to the now absent Oshima. Smiling, Hinata timidly pointed to the two seats, still not trusting her voice due to the screen shots of her and Naruto's romantic, chain-filled evenings.

Tilting his upper body to see around the petite form of the Hyuga Heiress, and in seeing the two seats vacant and open like a summer time kitchen window he grinned before taking the young Heiress's hand and pulling her towards the two seats. What Naruto failed to realize was the temperature dropping several degrees do to the death glares the new 'Naru-Fan Club' were sending towards the equally glaring Hyuga woman. Let in not be said that Hinata was weak, she just needed the right motivation to show others her…competitive and protective side; mainly some unwanted hooch or shameless hussy that would impose on her territory that was Uzumaki Naruto.

By now the glaring contest between Hinata and…half the female portion of the class was interrupted by Naruto taking his seat with Hinata not far behind him. Again Naruto did not realize half the female population slowly beginning to inch their way towards his new seat, but that was because he had more pressing matters to deal with. Said matter was the drooping of his eye lids and the sudden fatigue that washed over his body like some type of crazy flood. His head began to tilt towards the hardwood surface of the desk before him, but before it made harsh contact he snapped his head upwards. He finally realized, after seven or eight bobs, that the events of the day: the hectic scar reminiscing along with the perverted Fox, woman, angel…thingy, being stalked by the female villagers, comforting Ayame, eating a large batch of warm ramen that now sat heavily in his gullet, comforting Hinata, fighting Oshima, and realizing that Sakura was never going to love him. Oh, how he hated being tired. This movement continued for several minutes until Naruto growled with an animalistic quality, unknowingly sending shivers of anticipation down the spines of all the near by and approaching girls, and snapped his weary eyes towards Hinata causing her to 'eep' loudly.

"Hinata," he proclaimed loudly even as his eyes threatened to close him off to the world he was so desperately trying to be apart of, "I'm about to do something that may or may not embarrass you for the rest of your life. I apologize ahead of time for this inconvenience." And with that said, Naruto turned his eyes to the large plain chalkboard at the head of the class. Soon his upper body began to sway to the left and to the right, as if he had began over come by some type of alcoholic beverage, and he quickly lost his battle with staying up right and fell to his right, all the while his head and eyes stayed focused on the chalkboard before him. With a soft 'thwump', Naruto's head found its new resting place on the Heavenly soft lap of the now hyperventilating Hyuga Heiress, his eyes shut and his breath even.

The entire room grew quiet once Naruto had found his new home in the lovely lap of the Hyuga Heiress and all eyes, both male and female, 'Naru-Fan' or 'Sasu-Fan', all looked at the two with eyes of shock, anger, indifference, and some with pride. Naruto crack one of his eyes open at the lack of sound and tilted his head so that way his fatigued orbs gazed up at the ceiling and by association Hinata's upper body, or more accurately her breasts seeing as they were no more then a foot from his nose. But with Naruto's mind on the verge of complete and utter shut down, similar to a computer hard-drive meltdown, Naruto just stared at the ceiling before raising his hand lazily into the air and waving it in a slow circle, like some apathetic king that was about to order his loyal subjects about.

"Go about your duties my loyal subjects," Naruto preached, his hand still moving about in its slothful conducting, "Your King commands…it…-yawn-…yeah…commands…pancakes. " his hand soon fell onto his own face seeing as he was now lost to the world of the living and now roaming the land of the dreams.

Hinata was once again on the verge of her own hard-drive meltdown. Her breath was coming in short bursts making her breasts grow closer and closer in almost grazing the flesh of her beloveds face. Her fragile lavender pupils were like pinpricks floating within the whites of her eyes, quivering back and forth as it relayed all information to her 'inner personality' to be scribbled on her many white boards and stored within the 'Naruto only' section of her mind. Her hands were clasped firmly in front of her reddened face, as if trying to quell her trembling lips and muted voice.

But it was in that instance, where her eyes memorized every contour of his form in such close proximity to her own that she noticed the two 'X' shaped scars on the back of both of his hands. They lay directly in the center of his hand and if she were correct there were no signs of any type of struggle, meaning that the scars were self-inflicted. Hinata grew worried once again; did her love loss the battle of depression and try to take his life last night? Did he feel so responsible for the death of their mentor that he would punish himself but scaring his own flesh? She looked once again at his peaceful face, ignoring the newly arriving Jounin instructors, a determined look entering her still dilated eyes and her jaw set itself in a fierce line even through the embarrassed blush; she would find out what had happened last night, even if she had to force him to tell her.

XxXxX Time unknown do to Nappy Time XxXxX

"Wake up, Naru-kun," cooed a voice softly in the ears of a snoring blond Shinobi in training.

Smacking his lips in an ungentlemanly like way Naruto tried to roll over in his 'bed', "Five more minutes…"

The voice giggled gently yet a slight edge could be heard when it whispered in his ear once again, "You said that five minutes ago, if you don't get up you'll be late to get your new Sensei..."

"…ten more minutes…" his arm drooped over the chair and drool now began to pool at the corner of his open mouth.

"Ok…" muttered the musical tone, "now you're just being silly…"

"…fifteen more minutes…" Naruto succeeded in rolling over in his bed, all the while clutching his 'pillow', only to fall face down on the floor of the first row of desk in the classroom. Ironically enough his sleep was not halted in the least, in fact his snoring only seemed to double as he now had his face plastered to the floor, his pillow, being Hinata's cream colored jacket, now draping itself over his head effectively blocking out all light.

"…" and this man was supposed to be her suave and fearless Mate…

Unknown to Naruto as he slept through his built in alarm clock, one of the few times when his awareness did not take affect during his slumber, the door slid open to reveal a strange man. A man that hid most of his face to the world by both a half-face mask of a dark navy color and a slanted Forehead protector, slanted to hide the right side of his upper face, more specifically his right eye. His gear, vest, and clothing were of those of a stereotypical Jounin; forest green sturdy vest with several hidden pockets and scroll holsters, a long sleeve, navy blue turtleneck, full length navy blue pants with either Kunai or shuriken holsters on either thigh, and normal blue open toed scandals. One of the most noticeable features was the lazy look in his eye, a look that only belonged to those that cared for nothing or wished to be doing something more important, and the gray hair that veered off in a direction that most thought was not natural.

He looked through the room that was to hold his three new 'students', the look of barley-hidden disgust visible even through the mask he wore. In the center of the middle row of lecture style desks sat two of his subordinates; the pink haired Uchiha addict, talking adamantly with said Uchiha, or having a one sided conversation, depends on how you look at it, and said last Uchiha, stone cold as always. Both had yet to notice his arrival do to one being so enthralled with the sound of her own voice and the other, well he seemed to be administering divine justice upon the wall before him with beams of hate from his eyes. He shook his head and looked around the empty room for his last 'student'. His gaze swept to the left and to the right but he still could not find the last mongrel that was his apprentice, but soon the sounds of excessive snoring reached his ears and his lone eyebrow quirked upwards. Slowly, hands in pockets and his pace slothful, he prowled towards the source of the sleeping sound at the far end of the classroom, both Sakura and Sasuke became silent as he stalked towards the far end of the room.

The masked man finally came upon the front row of desks, the area that was producing the sound of some man sleeping, both Sakura and Sasuke now flanking his left and his right respectively. One wore a face of indifference as he looked down at the sprawled out form of the maverick blond who was clutching the cream colored jacket to his chest as he curled himself into a ball all the while whispering things between 'twenty more minutes' and 'sheep that were stealing his fresh French toast', and the other cherry topped adolescence looked down at his form with barely retained rage, her clenched fists shaking with anger and her left eye twitching uncontrollably. The older man was a completely different story though.

As he looked down at the blond his eyes hardened, hardened to the point that he seemed to be trying to drill bloody and agonizing holes into the skull of the sleeping child. Thoughts filtered into his mind, vengeful thoughts, hateful thoughts, evil thoughts, but he quickly shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts…for the time being. There was a time and a place for such things, and now was not that time. But, behind his mask he smirked, tomorrow was.

"My first impression of you," he drawled as he advanced towards the sleeping blond, ignoring his two other subordinates, his gaze fixated solely on the dozing blond, "I hate you." The last comment sent shivers down the spines of the two responsive teens as their Sensei continued towards the drooling blond.

He now stood almost on top of him and, unknown to his two other students, his glare intensified. This boy…this boy! This boy was the thing he had always strived for, as well as the cause of his greatest tragedy. He bit back a growl, but he did not stop his foot from rearing itself back, or halt its dissent into the ribs of the blond container.

But the foot never made contact with the ribs of the blond instead said blonde's eyes bolted open and his open palms caught the offending appendage. Both Sakura and Sasuke were shocked by the action, both expecting him to take the hit, but what struck them even more was the hostile look in the blonds as he gripped the sandaled foot even tighter. Neither of the two teens had ever seen Naruto look at someone in such a way, and in all rights it disturbed the cherry while the raven looked on, the quirked eyebrow the only evidence that he was surprised.

Naruto for his part was not happy. Just now he had been on the verge of catching the dastardly, thieving sheep to regain his mouth watering French toast, when his body acted on its own. One thing that had been ingrained into his mind since a young age was the ability to wake up at a moments notice if someone meant harm to his person. It had been seared into his mind, like a hot brand on a bovines hide; due to the many times he was attacked while he slept. Now he would normally never glare at the attacker in such a way, but something was different. Maybe it was the resent events of loosing someone truly loved by his person, or maybe it was the oath to never be 'walked over' again, but something was different.

Yoko, now full awake, was also startled by the reaction of her Mate. She had yet to see the man's 'face' but this type of reaction was…peculiar, to say the least. To be that protective of himself was something that she was not familiar with, and if she was honest it was borderline 'animalistic'. Could it be that… she stroked her chin from within her prison, this would need further looking into if her hypotheses was correct.

"It's good to see," the gray haired Cyclops stated as he pulled his foot from the vice like grip of the blond Hero-in-training and began to head towards one of the many windows of the room, "that you're not the Retard that I thought you were…" the words stung the soul of Naruto greatly while his two other peers seemed to take no heed to harmful words, the words that he heard at every twist and turn of his education.

The gray haired man had now made it to one of the large windows that faced east and slid it open allowing the cool breeze to swarm threw the room like a horde of galloping horsemen, trotting from one corner of the room to the other, around torsos and limbs. The man turned to them, looking directly into their innocent eyes one by one and proclaimed, "Meet me on the roof." And with that their Sensei flung himself out of the window.

The three of the new Genin sat there for no more than one minute before two of the three made there way to the roof by taking the civilized route of the stairs. While the third, Naruto, stood there allowing the breeze to caress his still form as he gaze out of the window his new Sensei had just escaped out of. Yoko had been overly quiet since this man had begun to speak and he could sense a hate that he had never felt before wafting off of her form. For some reason she really, _really_ hated this man; and if Naruto was to be honest, something about this man made him think of him not to fondly either. Something about him made something inside of Naruto…uneasy, and it wasn't his Angel…it was something much _darker_.

Shrugging Naruto went to leave, but stopped as he realized three things. One, he noticed that he, Sakura, and Sasuke seemed to be the only ones to have been in the classroom for some time and this led him to his second revelation. Two, Hinata was no longer there hence why he was currently hold her coat, meaning she had met up with both her team as well as Sensei; pity he had hoped to wish her luck. And third…wait, Naruto stroked his head in thought, was there a third. Shrugging he made his way to the door but just he slid the door to the side to follow his two teammates to the roof he noticed a small folded sheet of paper sticking out of the side pocket of Hinata's coat.

Now Naruto was never one to overstep his boundaries, going by the principle that if he did not want someone to look at his stuff without his permission then he would not gaze at others possessions without their permission, 'do unto others' if you will. So he gently began to push the note further into the pocket to prevent it from falling out, but just as he was to push it further into the pocket he saw that his name was written on it.

Now in seeing his name, making the folded piece of paper intended for his eyes, his curiosity was piqued and he could not help himself as he stopped just before the door of the roof, not taking the time to wonder how he had gotten there. He began to unfold the sheet of paper but found that he could not continue in doing so do to having Hinata's coat in his arms. Shrugging and not noticing Yoko's giggling at the fact that he could not multitask, he refolded the piece of paper and moved to put on the coat in order to free his hands. Once the coat was in place, all the while noticing the lovely aroma that clung to its threads, he unfolded the piece of paper and began to read.

_Dear Naruto-kun,_

_If you are reading this then I am most likely with my team at the moment. I thought it best not to wake you seeing how you enjoyed chasing those pesky sheep (giggle giggle). Anyway I am looking forward to lunch; see you at Ichiraku's._

_Sincerely,_

_Hyuga Hinata._

Blushing at the sheep comment, those damn things were faster then they seemed, Naruto couldn't help but be at awe at her penmanship. Each stroke of her pen as elegant and a work of art all in its own, for a lack of better words it was exquisite. Wait…Naruto actually knew that type of word…whoa. Oh well, Naruto quickly secured the note in his pocket, the same pocket that held his first perfect quiz and went to open the door to the roof. But before doing that questions of how much time had elapsed entered his mind, and with Yoko not talking to him for some reason at the moment he could not ask her for the time. Thinking quickly he created one Shadow Doppelganger and ordered it to wait at the small stand for Hinata, just in case he was to be late.

Sighing as he watched himself run off to the homely ramen stand, and wondering what other type of crazy things could happen today, Naruto gripped the cool steel ball of the doorknob and hastily twisted it and bolted into the sun light to meet his new team and 'family'.

The roof was like any other roof, bleak, boring, metal protective guard around the edge of the building, angry glares coming from both his peers as well as his new 'Teacher'. Yep just like any other type of roof. He began his trek towards the three individuals, their glare intensifying with each step he took, honestly what's so bad with being patient every once and a while. Oh well. By now, Naruto had come to stand besides Sakura, his hands in his pockets and his posture was slightly slouched. A look of tired indifference was worn on his face as he faced his Sensei and the feeling of foreboding came back with a vengeance.

"Tsk," Sasuke's arrogant tone brought Naruto's eyes away from his Sensei's piercing stare and onto Sasuke's smirking façade, "so your not only a Retard, but also a cross dressing freak now?"

It was then that Naruto remembered that he still wore Hinata's jacket, but promptly ignored his comment and criticism, opting to stare back at his new Sensei and wait for further instructions. Said man just watched the confrontation before him, or at least the one side of the confrontation, and sighed in frustration. Why did the Lord Hokage always insist that he take a Genin Squad? He hated children; everyone knew this, so why, oh why, for the love of all that is good in this world, did the Hokage make him take another Squad?

"If you would please quiet down I would like to get this meeting underway," Sasuke stopped his one sided staring contest with the unmovable blond, something that frustrated him greatly, and turned his attention back to his Sensei, his eyes striking the blond every so often. Knowing that the blond was one to go against authority, the gray haired man did not ask him to sit; instead he went ahead with his introduction. "As you may be wondering, I am your new Sensei, Hatake Kakashi. Now if you will all start by giving your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and hopes of the future…" his voice sound like it belong to others that lived in a coffin, dead, bored, and cold.

Seconds pasted as no one knew what to do, so finally Sakura attentively raised her hand in hopes of being called on to ask her question and to spread her knowledge. Their Sensei, Kakashi was it, palmed his face, his nerves being cut down rather quickly. "You are no longer in class Sakura, so there is no need for such actions," his voice was strained and livid.

Blushing at the ridicule she had just received, Sakura slowly lowered her raised hand and clasped both hands in her lap in hopes of not doing something as foolish next time around. "Well Sensei," she began her voice quiet from the before treatment, "shouldn't you tell us a little about yourself to begin with. That way we will know what you're looking for when we do our own."

Sighing once again at her valid question, Kakashi walked over to the railing and leaned against it, facing his pupils, "Ok then. As I just said my name is Hatake Kakashi. I have many likes, my dislikes are also numerous, and my dreams…are none of your business. Now since you are so smart Haruno-san, why don't you go first?" The only evidence that he masked man before them was smiling was the fact that his lone eye was curled upwards.

At the command to introduce herself, Sakura sat upright in her make shift seat on a small flight of stairs and began her speech about herself, but once she started her formal behavior crumpled like weather stone. "My name his Haruno Sakura. I like…I like…" her eyes began focusing on the ground, taking in every crack and particle of dust before she began to focus on raven haired teen besides her. "Uh, uh… My dislikes are," a devilish transformation overtook her and her reddened glowing eyes found their way onto the form of the impassive Naruto. If the young blond were to be honest, he could have sworn that he saw fangs glisten within her maw and withering tentacles form from her cherry locks. As quickly as the transformation overtook her, it instantly disappeared and she went back to her blushing bubbly behavior, "and my goal is to…to…to…" her eyes dilated and soon steam erupted from her ears as well as blood from her nose at the idea of her goal and being so close to the one that could make it come true.

Kakashi couldn't even bring himself to look at the incapacitated young girl. What had he done in his past life to have the Gods place one of the greatest Fangirls on his squad? What had he done? Anyway he quickly motioned towards the brooding raven haired Uchiha, signaling him to begin his own little triad on revenge and the likes.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I have no likes, and I have some many dislikes that I can no longer count them. My goal is to revive my dead clan and kill someone. Someone that must die for the sake of all those…"

Kakashi's eye focused on the Uchiha. Now he remembered why he was forced to take a team. The boy before him was the reason, the reason of his task, and the way to his redemption. He smiled again, if this teen's goal was to kill _that_ man, then he would do all in his power to assist him in that task. Gazing at the teen one last time he focused his attention on the last member of his new Squad, _him_… Again he had to bite back a growl. "Ok now for you," he spoke 'cheerfully'.

Naruto had, for the entirety of the introduction 'ceremony', been trying to get in contact with his inner Angel. Her silence was worrying him, and every now and then he would be whipped with a wave of aggression that was directed towards the man before him, and she seemed to have somehow discontent the mental link they had. He didn't even know that he or she was capable of turning the link on or off at any given time-

-Crack-

Naruto barked out in pain and gripped his nearly blown out knee, hissing as he hopped from one foot to the other in hopes of dissipating the pain that was slithering through his left leg. He whipped his eyes in the direction of the culprit of his current discomfort only to see Sakura glaring right into his eyes. Ok _now_ he was over her; he could handle a 'bonk'/'decapitating blow' to his noggin, but nearly having his knee blown out of the back of his leg was not something he could handle.

"You Retard, Kakashi-sensei just asked you to introduce yourself!" Sakura hissed in his direction, her raised fist still smoking from the attack she had inflicted upon his person. In her eyes Naruto saw nothing but loathing and malice, looks that were only reserved for the eyes of the older, more knowledgeable Villagers and Shinobi. Naruto couldn't help but wonder where the times when her eyes shown with an accepting and innocent gleam had gone but he quickly stopped the thought and returned his gaze to his Sensei.

"Sorry Sensei," Naruto began sheepishly, scratching the back of his head for emphases, "I guess I was thinking just a little too hard…"

"Something that I take is new to you," Kakashi drawled, "Anyway will you continue with your introduction?"

Yep, no doubt about it, this man was like all the others. "Okay!" Naruto mock-saluted, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like many things; namely: ramen, my friends, Hinata-chan, Ayame, Iruka-sensei, those that like me…" he stalled briefly while thinking of Yoko, "…and a very special woman I met recently." Naruto felt the arms of his Mate once again encircle him, a smile on her face; it seemed that Yoko was finished with what ever she was doing. "My dislikes are…" his eyes were dark and Kakashi would have sworn he saw both his eyes dilate as well as a thin trickle of blood coming from one of his right 'whiskers', "Traitors, deserters, liars…Villains. I hate all those that are evil or have evil intentions on those that are innocent and good." Sakura was on the verge of backing away from the teen she thought as insane, while Sasuke just sat there staring at him with disgust. Quickly Naruto's personality did a drastic one-eighty, "My goal in life is to…is to become the best Hero this world as ever seen!"

Once the shock of Naruto's sudden 'Villain' rant was over Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi were struck that he did not mention becoming Hokage, the only thing that the blond sparkler had want since anyone could remember. It was odd, they thought, that he would not mention anything about it, even in his goals for thee future. It was like Naruto having a horde of older women vying for his affection, it just did not happen.

"So…" started Kakashi as he pushed his body off of the railing and walked towards his new students, "you're saying that you no longer want to become Hokage?"

Before Naruto could explain his goal in full, colorful detail, Sasuke once again made one of his snide comments about those that were inferior to his kind, "I guess the Retard has just realized that he has no hope in becoming the esteemed Lord Hokage." Sakura quickly began agreeing with her love, "Besides, why would the village want someone that wears women's clothing as their leader and a Retarded transvestite at that."

"Yes, yes," droned Naruto, clearly sick and tired of the comments he was receiving about him wearing a beautiful girls jacket, "I'm wearing a coat that not only clashes with what I am wearing, but it also belongs to a woman, a very pretty one at that." A devious grin made its way onto Naruto's face as he felt his Fox like nature kicking in, his eyes glowed and his 'whiskers' seemed to stand out even more as he spoke again, "At least I'm into women and don't have some type of 'Big-brother complex' like someone I know…"

It was no secret to those that paid attention that Sasuke was obsessed with his brother, both in the admirable way as well as the psychotic way. Before the massacre, Sasuke would speak proudly of his brother's accomplishments and tell how he wanted to be just like his protégé sibling, but once Itachi went rogue and killed off all those of his clan Sasuke could be heard mumbling, plotting his brother's demise. Now some might view this type of verbal attack as a low blow, but Naruto, when others played dirty, tended to play dirty as well. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sakura who was torn between pummeling Naruto and fantasizing about the two Uchiha's. If the blush on her face and the slight dripping of blood underneath her nose was any indication she had chosen the latter. Kakashi for his right was emotionless, his eyes just fixated straight on the opposing blond.

Sasuke was a different matter all together. His face was a shade of red that could only be associated with a shade of red only Hinata could produce. His hands were shaking in rage, and Naruto could tell that he was itching to reach into his Kunai holster and perform an assault. His eyes are what made both Yoko as well as Naruto laugh loudly in the blonds head; his eyes spoke of a painful and agonizing torture, most likely involving a spatula and lots of poster board tacks.

"Alright, alright," called out Kakashi, moving his hands in a pacifying up and down gesture, "settle down you two. Naruto I would appreciate it if you did not antagonize your comrade like that." His eyes bored into Naruto's forehead for just a brief instant before the smiling façade was back in place. "Now on to other matters," Naruto took the time to realize that he did not reprimand his 'comrade' at all about his comment…oh well… "Tomorrow will be your Genin Exam," Sakura immediately went to interject but Kakashi stopped her questioning, "Yes I know that you took an exam but that was to see if you were ready to take the real thing, like the preliminaries to a sporting event. But don't worry the Exam will be simple, a survival exercise, just you three against me."

He then stood to his fullest height and strolled over to the railing before jumping so he was standing directly onto of the one-inch thick bar. The breeze whipped his hair back and forth slightly and he turned his head so he could look at them with his lone eye. "The Exam will take place at training ground Seven at exactly eight o'clock am. Don't be late or points will be deducted," his voice was stern and his eye was hardened, driving the point further into their minds, "also, don't eat breakfast…will that is don't eat breakfast unless you enjoy upchucking, but with kids now a days you never know." Kakashi performed his signature 'eye-smile' before launching himself off the slim railing and into the air. Once there he disappeared into a plumb of white Ninjutsu smoke, leaving not a trance of his presence once the smoke dissipated.

Silence reined supreme for the next several moments before Naruto made his way over to the railing. Once there he gazed down at the lawn that surrounded the Academy for any signs of their instructor, looking left and looking right in hopes that he was plaster on the ground from his would be four-story fall. Groaning at the prospect that he did not in fact fall to his doom, Naruto turned back to his two teammates only to find them long gone, one most likely running from the advances of the other. Sighing once again, Naruto began to contemplate what his next course of action should be.

"Maybe you should go see dear sweet Hinata-chan, since she has most likely been waiting at Ichiraku's with your Doppelganger for nearly half an hour…but that's just what I would do…" Yoko suggested, caressing his cheek with the tip of one of her index fingers.

Cursing loudly, Naruto bolted towards the edge of the roof and launched himself off of it just like his Sensei had just moments ago, but with more finesse if he did say so himself. Seeing that there were no buildings in the near vicinity, he rebounded his body off of a close tree and catapulted off onto one of the cities roofs. "Damn, thanks Yoko," he said as the wind buffered his clothes and face, "What would I do with out you?"

At those words, Yoko blushed hotly and wrapped her arms around him and held him with even more care, "Thank you, Naru-kun…" that little question meant so much to her. They continued their trek towards the homely stand in a comfortable silence, relishing in each other's presence.

XxXxX Ichiraku's Ramen Bar: three minutes later XxXxX

Once again Naruto made his entrance by jumping down from the very roof of the place he had been heading to. But it was not any ordinary jump, it was a triple back flip coupled with a summersault of some kind, and he landed on one hand with his legs saluting the Heavens. Passerbies looked the spectacle, some with disgust, some with awe, and some with hunger. Pushing himself upwards with both of his scared hands, Naruto did yet another back flip, and held his hands out as if he was trying to stop a renegade bull.

"SAFE!!!" he shouted causing many of the bystanders to jump due to being startled. He soon thrust his chest out, finger pointing to the Heavens, and head held high as he began to proclaim his achievement, "Do you hear me, oh evil Penguins! You have lost this round, but now I will be on the lookout for you Seal cannons and your oil slicks! You will never gain the upper…uh…fin again!" With that, he laughed boisterously his victory, causing many to either face fault at his stupidity or giggle at said foolishness. Naruto then spun on his heel, while still laughing, and entered his home away from home.

But once the Hero-in-training felt the atmosphere of the small shop and saw the glowing eyes of two of the most enraged women he had ever set eyes on, he wished the Penguins did capture him for their cross-species-breeding experiments.

"Ah…h-h-hi girls," he muttered quickly, their eyes sapping all of his strength and leaving him nothing but a quivering pile of goop beneath their shadows and their towering forms. "N-ni-nice day we're ha-having to-to-today, huh?"

"Naruto!" Ayame barked, causing the kit before her and Hinata to pull its many tails in-between its hind legs and to cower in fear at the two dominating alpha females before him.

"Ye-yes madam's," he whimpered trying to his utmost to gain brownie points in order to make his punishment that much less severe.

Hinata couldn't help the thoughts that paraded themselves through her mind when she heard her love refer to her as 'madam', a sure sign of submission. But the more important matters brought her mind back from the realm of perversion and the front that was Ayame and Hinata advanced upon the shaking blond.

Teuchi for his part was silent as he leaned his upper body against the counter of his ramen stand. When he had heard that Naruto had taken to cutting himself from Hinata's near tearful explanation, he was both surprised and understanding. Considering the life that Naruto had to live he was not surprised that the young man would fall into self-mutilation in order to escape the horrors of his life, but at the same time Naruto's personality would not allow him to do such a thing. So if Teuchi were to guess correctly, the self-inflicted wound most likely had some type of reason to it; he just couldn't wait to hear it as he watched Naruto cower between the two simmering females.

Some how the girls had gotten between him and the exit of the stand, with him having his back flush with the lowest most portion of the counter of the stand, and Ayame now took the assault as Hinata performed backup, her eyes surprisingly hard and sharp as razors. "Naruto," Ayame barked again, "what is this I hear about you CUTTING YOURSELF?!"

Naruto gapped at the two women, one angrier then he had ever seen her before and the other was nearly bursting in to tears at the very thought of her love interest even considering such an act. They thought that he had reverted to emo-ism? Seriously? Leveling his own stare at the two before him, he asked curtly, "What would make you come to this conclusion?"

Ayame simple held up her hand with its back facing Naruto and point to it, her and Hinata's eyes growing harder for each passing second that her finger pointed. Naruto looked to where they were pointing them looked at his own hand. He saw the two 'X' shaped scars staring back at him, their flesh the color of blood, fresh dripping blood, even though they did not bleed. He then understood the two women's concern; he had forgotten to explain why such scars marred his flesh.

Standing up he looked at the two distraught girls, marveling that they cared that much for him, looks of concern and fright in their lavender and onyx eyes. Slowly he advanced upon the two and wrapped his arms around each of them, pulling them close to him and hugging them with all his might. Both girls were startled by this action, though they did not complain, and wondered what would cause this man they both secretly felt for to do such a thing.

"Thanks for your concern girls, that means a lot," whispered Naruto, unknowingly, into the ears of the two love-struck girls.

Hinata was all in a dither because the man she loved was now holding her like he had done this morning. If she were to die right now, she thought as she moved her hands to hold the blond haired man, she would be happy. Ayame on the other hand, even though she was enjoying the embrace, would not fall for the embrace or the kind words. Huffing loudly she pushed herself off of the blond, also causing the indigo haired Heiress to be pushed out of her embrace with the blond, and began to jab her index finger harshly into his chest, noticing that the chest she was assaulting was made like a stone wall.

"Stop trying to change the subject!" her voice was rough, "You still haven't told us why you cut yourself. So? Spill it!"

Naruto raised his hands up in surrender, showing both girls that he was to tell them the truth and pacify their curiosity. Turning, he motioned for the girls to sit with him as he ordered several bowls from the waiting chef, luckily conversations could be heard from the kitchen so the middle aged man would not be left out as Naruto began to explain the scars.

"You are both correct in thinking that I gave myself these scars," he said showing the girls the scars on both of his hands. Hinata instant wished to weep for her blond at the idea that he had given up and succumb to his darker thoughts like she almost did every night, while Ayame wished to pummel the idiotic man with all her might, and would have if he did not continue his conversation, "But there is a reason for why I did this." He stopped as Teuchi set the asked for bowls before their executioner.

After praying and breaking apart his disposable chopsticks, Naruto went to take his first bite of ramen but stopped when he saw that neither Hinata nor Ayame had ordered something. Ayame he understood since she worked the stand nearly ten hours a day, but hadn't Hinata been waiting for him to have lunch with? He turned to look at the young Heiress, his chopsticks half way to his mouth. She seemed to be hanging on his every word, wishing to know all that he was to reveal. It seemed that the time she had spent not knowing the reason behind his marks had warped her perception of the incident and had bred thoughts of horror and doubt; something that the young Hyuga did not need.

Smiling Naruto asked, "You can order something too, Hinata-chan, my treat. You must have been waiting for some time, so please order something." His words were sweet and Hinata could hardly say no, but when a well placed rumble came from her empty stomach she quickly agreed and ordered a regular miso flavored bowl of ramen. The thought of the meal being Naruto's treat was not lost to the Heiress either.

Nodding as she took a bite out of her steaming bowl of ramen, Naruto attacked his own for several mouthfuls before returning to his story. "Last night…" he did not know what he should divulge to the two young ladies beside him, seeing that if he told them of Yoko he would most likely loose them for good, so he decided to tell them as much as he felt comfortable with. "I was extremely depressed, the thoughts of Iruka's death being my fault still fresh in my mind. I want to know things, things about myself, people and other things…so I went to talk to someone that is now very…important to me."

Teuchi grinned. He grinned at the faces of the two girls as he said he had someone important to him and naturally the two girls thought that the new person was a woman, so the looks that graced their faces were those of shock and newfound determination of not loosing their 'Naruto-kun'. The other aspect of the grin was one of pride, he had a good idea who this person might be and if he was right then this story that he was listening to would become that much more interesting.

"This person told me many things. Things that both made me happy as well as sad," muttered Naruto as he gazed into the cooling bowl of his chicken ramen. "After our conversation," he continued not find now the right time to tell the two girls about himself, his family, or about the other things that the crimson Angel had told him, "I had to make a choice. I had to choose whether or not I was going to lay down and allow people to walk all over me as I tried to crawl, or if I was going to fight back and protect those I love and those I hold dear." He looked down at his two 'X' shaped scars and grinned, "I dug these two 'X's into my hands to remember that I would never back down from a fight when someone I loved was on the line. That I would never stop fighting until those I loved were safe, and to never let someone I held dear die before me again."

Teuchi could see that Naruto was becoming worked up, and had to say that he could not blame him. Hinata was again on the verge of tears, but not tears of sorrow but tears of joy. It seemed that not only did her love pick himself back up from his fall but he strapped on a sword and grasped a shield as well. Ayame was also impressed with Naruto's behavior. It was just like him to do something like that, she thought as he continued to gaze into his ramen.

"Ano…but Na-Na-Naruto-kun," Hinata began, her fingers jousting yet again, "what's wi-with that wa-watch you sh-sh-showed me earlier?"

Ayame looked down to the watch in question and had some inquiries of her own form within her cloth draped head. It was a strangely shaped timepiece, taking up the entirety of his wrist and with strange small pipes and the like leading to the time face. When she got a good look at the time face as Naruto pulled his black and crimson sleeve back to get a better look at it himself, she saw that it had no hands or numbers, making it impossible to know the time of day on it. Now her interest was truly piqued.

Teuchi was also curious about the 'watch' since Naruto said it had some other purpose besides time telling and he waited for the younger mans explanation on the subject of his new accessory.

Naruto's grin returned and he debated if he should give the proprietors of the stand a ringside show of his new armament or if he should just explain the features. Deciding on the first option, he quickly hopped up from his seat and said, "Why don't I show you?" with that said, he pressed the small orange button that entered him into 'Fist selection'. Twisting the plunger left and right he soon found one of the Fists that had intrigued him the night prior. Grinning up at the three individuals he raised his right hand high and slammed it down, hard, on the plunger.

Naruto cringed as the plunger sank deep into his flesh, melding him with the spirit of the Fist he had chosen.

Power, strange power coursed through his body like some type of raging wind and with it each of the scars the marred his form melted away like warmed wax, leaving only flawless skin behind. His hair, as sparks of the strange energy ran rampant through its tresses, soon lost its 'spike' and its golden hue; what replaced its rebellious nature and its shine was obedient chocolate and onyx locks that draped around his head. Soon after his eyesight worsened but small spectacles wormed their frames out from his flesh and onto the contours of his small nose, causing his eyesight to become what it was moments ago. But the transformation was not done there, the power saw fit that his height and his age were not correct at the moment and began to assault his limbs and his body. Arms condensed, legs shortened, muscles shrunk, and his mind began to run clearer then it had ever run before. Naruto's clothes became like leaves in the wind, and soon left his small form, only for new, more presentable clothing to form around him. A white button up dress shirt shortly followed by a tie, dress pants, and finally a dress coat formed around his chest, arms, and legs. The last part of the transformation soon commenced as the end of a large wooden staff began to blossom from his left palm. Grunting at the uncomfortable sensation, Naruto gripped the end of the staff with all his might and wrenched it from his open palm, its twisted tip brandishing the symbol of Fists proudly on its open face.

The orange light dimmed and before the three startled individuals stood a boy that looked to be about ten to eleven. He wore small glasses on the edge of his nose and his semi-long brown hair was held in a ponytail at the base of his neck. What startled the girls were not only the cuteness but also the business like clothes that he wore, the complimented his smart looking eyes as well as made him look older then he truly was. Also, the strange wooden staff that he held firmly in his hand made his small form seem that much more intimidating.

Both girls looked at the new Negi and couldn't help but pull him into a bone-crushing hug between the two of them, proclaiming loudly how cute he was. Negi then received flashes from the original Negi's lifetime when this occurrence happened quite frequently, and blushed hotly as he remembered each of the girls that usually took part in the glomping. Quickly the assaults on Negi's new form ended do to the clearing of Teuchi's throat, causing both of the girls to blush hotly and place the younger boy down on the ground.

"So," Ayame began, still blushing at the thought that her father saw her succumb to all women's weaknesses, cute children. "What's so special about this, it's just a simple Henge?"

Hinata shook her head quickly, causing her short hair to whip her head cutely, "No, Ayame-san. He d-did this when h-he fought of-ff Oshima-san, b-but he was so-someone else. Anyw-way, this is n-not a no-normal Henge."

"Correct, Hinata-chan," praised Negi, causing Hinata to blush hotly and try to hide behind her delicate fingers, "this is no ordinary Henge, but entire body transformation. Within that 'watch' are ten different 'Fists', or Heroes, from all over time. I have the ability to change into these ten 'Fists' at any given time, once the watch is recharged that is. I also seem to be able to duplicate the ability of the watch with my Shadow Doppelgangers." Said Negi as he stroked his chin.

"Doesn't each F-F-Fist have something sp-sp-special about them?"

"Again you are correct Hinata-chan. Like the one you saw earlier, Ikki, I, too, have something 'special' in this form," Hinata once again blushed at the praise, still not being entirely used to it.

"So…" Ayame inquired as she circled the young ten year old, taking in all of his features and contemplating what his 'special ability' was, "what can this one do?" she was a bit skeptical about the whole 'ability thing', but Ninja's were strange things so part of her wouldn't be surprised if he did something strange.

A grin made its way onto the young magi's face. Before Ayame could react, Negi jumped from within her inspection circle and towards the opening of the stand, all the while he staff moved in a blur of motion. As his feet made contact with the ground he stopped his staff skills by bringing it to rest in the direction of Ayame and Hinata, more so Ayame. His grin grew as his grip on the wooden stick tightened and his eyes flashed with an inner power.

"Ras te Ma scir Magister!" Negi barked out, the power flowing from deep with his body and into the tip of his crooked scepter. A ball of bright blue mana condensed around the tip, glowing and whirling, and Ayame felt something condense around her form, hugging her just like the transformed Fist had several minutes ago. The grin again made its way on to the face to the ten year old, a grin that was of mischief and nothing more, like a child playing with a new toy.

Gently, his grip on his staff even tighter then before, he began to raise the tip of his staff towards the lower ceiling and by proxy the body of the young stand waitress as well. Hinata and Teuchi were all agape at the magic show that was being performed before their very eyes. Both could sense no Chakra at the moment and seeing as Ayame was now flying around the stand, all the while laughing, squealing with glee, and making Heroic flying poses much to the enjoyment of those that watched, so there was no possible way that this was a Ninjutsu of Genjutsu.

After several minutes Negi lowered his staff and placed Ayame back down upon the firm ground, all the while she pouted cutely, her arms folded in defiance. He had to admit that Ayame was presenting herself as one that was hard to resist and he was half tempted to place her back into the air so could enjoy the feeling of weightlessness that much longer. But a gentleman should never focus on only one of his loves and beautiful guests. So after placing Ayame back on the ground he began to walk towards Hinata, a sincere smile worn on his face.

Hinata was flabbergasted at the display from this Fist. This was just a sprinkle of his power, and Hinata could not help but wonder what his full power could do. As she watched her friend soar around the room thanks to the ability of this new Fist, she couldn't help but feel a tiny bit envious towards the brunette. She wanted to know what it was like to fly as well, but knowing that the transformation had a set time limit due to Naruto changing back so suddenly in the fight with Oshima she guessed that she would not get her chance. She did not notice the young Magi advancing towards her, so she was caught completely unaware when the young glasses wearing ten year old appeared before her, smile and all.

"Would you like a chance too, Hinata-chan?" asked the boy in an accent that she just noticed. He stood before her with his staff held within both of his hands a look of eagerness on his face, just waiting for her to say 'yes'.

Shyly, the young Heiress nodded and so did the young Springfield, holding his staff out horizontal to the ground just between him and the Hyuga Heiress. Much to Hinata, as well as Ayame's and Teuchi's, surprise, Negi then mounted his magical wand as if it were a broomstick of a childhood story wizard or witch. The staff stayed fixated in midair as if some type of force was keeping it from succumbed to the law of gravity, and Negi quickly patted the area that was open just in front of him. Getting the message of 'hop on', Hinata gingerly approached the floating vessel, and gave it several inspectoral pokes with her finger, seeing if it were to fall straight out of the sky if she were to get on. Seeing that it stayed fixated in midair, she gently side mounted the 'broomstick' and squealed when it suddenly became airborne, albeit by only being three feet in the air. Her squeals soon switched into giggles and soon soft laughter as Negi zoomed her around the room, all the while she gripped onto him in order to keep herself from falling.

Soon their free air ride came to a screeching halt as the blare like beeping resounded through the room as well as harsh flashes of red light. Hinata quickly made her way off of the 'broomstick' but it seemed that time was not on her side as the timer ran out and she soon found herself plummeting towards the ground, even though it was only three feet from where she was previously sitting. Rubbing her bruised rear and muttering unladylike words underneath her breath, Hinata found herself seated harshly on the ground with Naruto standing just above her, rubbing the back of his head in a shameful nature.

"Sorry about that Hinata-chan, I didn't expect the watch to 'time out' that quickly," Naruto laughed as he held his hand out to the young woman, hoping that his actions would pacify the young lady before him.

Smiling and say that 'it was ok', Hinata graciously accepted his hand and soon found herself hoisted to her feet. It was at that moment that Naruto noticed the shirt that Hinata was wearing, seeing as he still wore her cream colored coat. Her torso was hidden by a midnight black, short sleeved t-shirt. Its collar was a slightly lower then normal shirts but the fish-net armor that was worn underneath the shirt reached all the ay up the her neck, making her cleavage that would be seen normally with that type of shirt impossible to see. In his opinion the shirt complimented her figure to a degree that made him speechless, but seeing her in her coat was the Hinata that Naruto knew best.

Quickly he stepped back and began to take off the coat that he had all but forgotten he was wearing. Before she could notice the change in her loves appearance she found her coat being draped over her slim shoulders, much to her surprise and comfort. She looked at Naruto to find him smiling and saying, "Now that's the Hinata-chan I know!"

Hinata blushed hotly as Naruto said this, but she was quite thankful that he had given her back her coat. Do to all of the commotion that had happened she had forgotten about being self-conscious about not wearing her usual coat. Hinata was very shy about how she looked, hence why she always wore her jacket out in the open, so during the entire team meeting she had to deal with the leers coming from Kiba. Luckily Kurenai-sensei had made the comment that she 'despised perverts and wanted to torture all of their kind' and Kiba lessened his staring, if only by a small amount.

"Anyway…" Naruto drawled as he stretched his limbs, "I think that I should be making my way home." At the looks of shock and sadness Naruto waved his hands in hopes of cheering all of the stands occupants up. "Now now, I know I just got here," he said as he laid several bills on the counter of the homely stand, "but since I'm now living in Iruka's old apartment, I need to clean it and move all of my stuff in." He saw Hinata about to say something along the lines of helping but he quickly interrupted her, "Thanks for the thought Hinata-chan, but I kinda want to do this on my own. Ya'know?"

Knowing what he meant Hinata reluctantly agreed, even though truly wished to help him. Ayame also wished to help her favorite blond but knew when he set his mind on something that he was not one to stray from that path. But that did not mean that she was not going to put one more nail in the coffin of Naruto. "Oh, but Naruto-kunnnn?"

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed the tone that she was using and knew that only bad things came from it. "Yes?" his shaking made his word come out in a jumble of letters.

He did not notice Ayame wink at the Hyuga Heiress, bring her in on her little prank, so when he turned to look at the girl in question he did not know that he would also be staring down Hinata, lord of the 'Scary-starey'. Even though Hinata was usually shy, she did have her 'normal' moments, moments where she would act like a normal thirteen-year-old girl. "What is this I hear that you are not getting enough sleep?" steam billowed out of his open lips, and Hinata's glowing eyes only served to scare him even more.

"Listen girls," he stuttered as he began to back track towards the stands exit, "it was only one time! I swear that I'll never stay awake for seventy-two hours again, promise!" he pledge as he got on his hands and knees and bowed to the two Angels before him.

The atmosphere instantly lightened, but now the two girls were thunderstruck. He had stayed up for more than seventy-two hours? "What!?" Ayame and surprisingly Hinata shouted.

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly from his position on the floor, "Well…there was the review day at school and that night I stayed up and studied so I knew all of my stuff. The next day was the exam and that night…I got kinda busy, and didn't sleep either. Then the next day was Iruka's funeral and that night I had a lot to think about. So…yeah I've only had about," he counted on his fingers one by one, "a max total of about six hours of sleep in the past four days…" he tried to laugh but the renowned glare he was getting from both Hinata and Ayame silenced him in an instance.

"That does it," muttered Ayame, her shoulders shaking, her eyes focused on the ground. Hinata was in the same boat but she did not trust her voice in fear of bursting out into tears at the thought of Naruto's self-destructive behavior. "I think Hinata-chan will agree with me on this one when I say that," she took a large intake of air through her nostrils before continuing, "Your recent behavior is harmful to yourself. Your behavior in _general_ is harmful to your well being!" Hinata nodded. "You eat nothing but ramen, we've both seen you bloodied and bruised due to your 'training', and now you're rarely sleeping! Grrr… from now on either Hinata or I will come by your apartment once a day to see how you're holding up, right Hinata-chan?"

Hinata, at the idea of seeing Naruto much more often and on a much more intimate basis, promptly fainted, dead on the ground. Ayame sighed and picked up the poor girl with surprising strength and ease. Plopping her still and grinning form down on one of the many stools she leveled another glare at the idiot in question. "Any objections?" her voice was quiet yet the terror behind it could truly be heard.

"Nope none at all, well see you," screamed the petrified blond as he bolted from the stand and towards his new apartment, hell bent on getting away from the scary, yet lovely, brunette, and the equally scary, yet also beautiful and shy, Heiress.

Thinking quickly, as to not loose the blond haired man, Ayame set Hinata up as best she could before running to the opening of the stand. "And don't forget you still owe me a dinner for two!" she hollered out as the blonde turned the nearest corner, causing many stares of disgust and thinly veiled jealousy from the male and female populous respectively. But so little did she care that she nodded proudly in a huff and march straight back into the stand.

XxXxX Back at Naruto's new apartment XxXxX

"Oh dear God," the blond haired Hero-in-training panted as he now lay leaning against his new front door its locks bolted and its chains secured, "Why did you have to create such malicious creatures as those?"

He was currently referring to the squad of women that had decided to chase him through the Hidden Leaf Village. In his fear from the two women of the ramen stand, he had forgotten to flee across the Village via the rooftops of small shops, apartments, and houses alike. At first his flight through the streets had been slightly relaxing, but as he slowed his pace to both catch his breath as well as enjoy the scenery of the business section of town he once again saw them. The heated and smoldering glances of the females, hot coals for eyes and blazing bellies as their bodies. They frightened him worse more than in the morning.

Some started to follow him once again as he meandered through the streets, and he thought he recognized them from the morning. Only they had brought friends…many, many friends. Like before, once he began to subtlety increase his walking pace into a brisk walk so did the women that followed him, and from a brisk walk to a jog, and from a jog to a sprint. They followed him and followed him, up streets and down alleyways, to the east and to the west, from the residential district to the training grounds. Finally his wits came about and he took to the rooftops like before. But it seemed that the girls had predicted this course of action, much to Naruto's ire. It seemed that some of the friends that they had contacted were indeed Ninja and were out for his…_person_. It took all of his wits and cunning to flee from the Genin and Chuunin ranked personnel, and that was by the skin of his teeth.

Why was this happening? Why did they choose now to begin to find interest in him? Were the clothes that he now wore that much of a change that it would cause all of the women to find him more appealing? Or was it…was it something else?

Yoko gazed through the small window into the outside world, gazing upon the face of her distraught love and husband. She did not have it in her heart to tell him that one of the main reasons for the increased female activity was due to his Fox like Nature she had touched upon earlier. In all honesty she did not know the full outcome of the Fox genetics in his system, she had just given him her hypothesis when she touch on the subject in the shower this morning, her own body being a mystery to herself even at this time. The incident during his nap inside of the classroom was a prime example of this loophole; without rhyme nor reason he had went from peaceful sleep to willing to maim the man that had attacked him. She had taken a good portion of time to come up with a reason for this and still had nothing to confirm the action. Only with future experiments could this incident be explained, and until then she would observe her love and gain as much information about his new physiology as she could. The females on the other hand were rather easy to explain; like Foxes, Naruto was unknowingly excreting pheromones since the moment that they had become Mates. She herself was not affected as greatly by them nor were those that had _genuine_ interest in the blond knucklehead, but those that did not know much of the blond were drawn to him and lusted after him.

But why were these changes occurring now? Why did it not occur when he first set his eyes upon the world, or when he took his first breath? Why was he becoming some type of man/fox hybrid at this point in time? She lifted her delicate finger to her lips as she contemplate this question, then her eyes widened as she draw her fingers from her lips and gazed at them in minor horror.

The 'Winging'! Her mind raced as Naruto went about his new apartment cleaning, organizing, and placing his personal items that had been delivered in their needed areas with no care in the world as the events of moments ago melted from his simplistic mind.

Like she said earlier, she could not allow her Holy-Energy to enter his system but allowed the Fox like Nature to bleed through, something she could not stop even if she had wanted to. What she did not count on was the fact that the nature seemed to lay dormant in his body for all this time, accumulating like some kind of liquid surrounding a plunged drain. So all this time it had 'festered' within his system until some 'thing' came along and triggered it, turning it on, and set it to make its way through his body. Once the drain was 'unplugged' it had begun its process of changing him on the inside, giving him not only the 'body' of a Fox but also the 'mind' of one as well.

A small, sad and knowing smile made its way on her face. How interesting…

It also seemed that the kissing, Holy-Energy, and the 'Winging' were not the only things that contributed to the Nature coming into being so quickly and viciously, mused Yoko as she watched her love gather all of the dirtied laundry in the small apartment. The Omnitrix that grafted itself onto his wrist was also a key turning point in the release of his Nature. She guessed that if its presence was not there at the moment that the progression of the Nature would have been twice to three times as slow as it was now. And why was that? It seemed that the watch had its own agenda, but of what she did not know.

"Hey, Yoko?" Naruto's voice cut into her own mental evaluations. She perked her head up from the floor of her cage as she focused on his thoughtful posture. "I can't seem to find a washing machine in this place."

Yoko raised one of her slim eyebrows at his proclamation, "And…"

"Well," he scratched the back of his blond covered head as he continued in a bashful tone of voice, "… You don't happen to know where one is? Do you?" By the way that his Angel was silent he knew that he had not thought through his question…like usual. The silence continued for several minutes as Naruto waited for some kind of reply, his foot pushing the small pile of clothing at his feet this way and that.

"…hmmm…" her voice was delicate yet firm, "… I'm going to ignore that question if that's all right with you…"

Naruto hung his head as he realized his own folly; how could the woman Sealed within his very stomach and soul have any clue where something as menial as a washing machine was in the outside world. Now he felt as though his worth had plummeted just that much more. "Sorry…"

Her arms circled him like they always did. "It's all right," she said in a soothing manner. She knew that because of the 'instructors' of the Academy as well as all the blows to the head from past beatings and the like Naruto's mental processing was slightly below average as well as his short-term memory. Naruto knew of this predicament to a certain extent and always tried his best to over come it, but some things could not be overcome. But that is what made Uzumaki Naruto the man he is.

Smiling at her words he quickly straightened as a thought crossed his mind; the ex-ANBU had said something about people that could help him if he had questions. Reaching into his back pocket, the same pocket that held all of his paper treasures, and retrieved the letter from the four ex-ANBU members. He quickly headed into the dinning room and sat at the table, taking great care as he unfolded the short letter. The wooden table was cool against his hands as he scanned the document for the correct number that was 'hidden' within its lines.

"Room 184," Naruto mused as he read over the line two more times. "What do you think Yoko? Should we give it a shot?"

Yoko reread the same line as Naruto had several more times. It said that_ 'If you have any problems please go to room '184', which should be just down the hall, and ask its resident for assistance.'_ She found no reason to discredit it. If the four ex-ANBU members viewed this person or persons as reliable enough to leave Naruto in their 'care' then she saw no reason to not trust them. "I say we should give them a shot, maybe they will know where the nearest laundry mat is."

Naruto nodded quickly, his resolve set. Folding the sheet of paper up delicately, and placing it back in his rear pocket, he sprang from the small table and ran towards the door of the apartment. But as soon as he touched the knob of the woodened door Yoko interrupted him once again, "I think it would be a good idea if you were to bring some type of 'house warming' gift before you barge into some unknown persons home. First impressions are always the most important!"

Nodding fiercely Naruto let go of the cool steel doorknob and rushed into the kitchen of his new apartment. It appeared that Iruka had always had a good sense when it came to food, Naruto mused as he rummaged through the cupboards; all sorts of food could be found. Spices, boxed baked goods, cereals, soups, and ramen, what could Naruto use as a 'house warming' gift? All cupboards doors were swung open wide in his search until he found what he thought would be the best 'house warming' gift. It was in the far end of one of the back cupboards, a limited addition 'buffalo chicken flavored ramen' box consisting of ten packets. He had never seen this flavor of ramen at all in his life and was tempted to keep it for himself to sample…but if some one was going to offer something to him as a 'house warming' gift, then he would want something like this. Smiling at his own thoughtfulness, he tucked the decent sized parcel under his arm and made his way towards the door and by association the hall.

The draft of fresh air that rushed into the opened apartment door felt wonderful to Naruto as he marched out into the red-carpeted hall. He made a mental note to himself to open some of the windows once he returned to his apartment, but he still had things to do before he could accomplish that simple task. Looking to the left and to the right, Naruto took in his surrounds and looked to find his bearings. He gazed at the number written on the front of his door, 186, and glance at the one directly across from his own door. It read 187. Glancing down the long hall way he saw that the next door on his side of the hall to the right was numbered 188, and in glancing to his left he saw that the next door was numbered 184 just before the stairwell that led to this floor, his intended destination.

Puffing out his chest and drawing in a mighty breath, Naruto marched door the hall until he was facing the door that held his 'soon to be friend'…or at least that was the plan. He gazed at the surface of the woodened door for several seconds not know what to do. Was he to knock and introduce himself? Or was he to fling open the door and proclaim that he was their new neighbor and that he needed their help? In his old apartment no one else lived anywhere near him so he never had to deal with situations such as this, so he was rightfully confused. He felt a slender and warm hand caress his cheek and he reveled in the warmth. Gathering his courage and taking one last deep breath, Naruto knock on the dented and faded door of room 184 hoping that all would come out all right.

Seconds passed and nothing happened, so he knocked once more this time adding his voice to the assault. "Hello," his voice was small and timid, like a child asking an unknown adult a question, "my name is U-Uzumaki Naruto, a-and I just moved in next door." His courage once again surged within him as he heard the faint shuffle of feet from the other side of the door, "I was wondering if you, perchance, knew where the nearest luand-"

The door suddenly burst open, swinging inwards, and all Naruto knew that happened next was that he saw a splash of purple and pink, of crimson and black, and of brown and white before his world was rendered into a sea of tender black; the black of kind unconsciousness.

XxXxX Within the Unknown Apartment: Time unknown XxXxX

One thing was for certain as Naruto began to drift back into conscious, he was within the apartment that he had hoped to find some type of assistance in and it seemed that there was a total of three maybe four occupants in its confines, and judging by the voices they seemed to all be female…great… Another thing that was for certain was that his two hands were currently chained to the ceiling. Now Uzumaki Naruto could not be considered as one of the brightest Shinobi in Konohagakure but he knew that this situation could not be a good one. Other than that he was in the dark, quite literally. It seemed that his 'kidnappers' had blindfolded him once they had chained him to the ceiling.

An abrupt silence filled the room; whatever the women of the room had been contemplating seemed to have come to an end. A sudden sense of warmth on his sleeved arm, most likely a human body judging by the temperature, alerted himself of a nearby presence. Slim fingers trailed from his elbow, to his shoulder up his neck as well as across his cheek until the woman, judging by the shape of the finger and the softness to it, hooked her finger under the fabric of the impromptu blindfold. In one quick motion the blindfold was wretched from his head and his eyes were allowed to see the occupants of the room as well as the blinding light of the nearby window. But once his eyes took the time to consider each of the four occupants he quickly clamped his eyes closed, a blush of unknown power reddening his face.

"What's this?" asked the woman that had taken the blindfold from his face as she seated herself back down on the couch directly in front Naruto as he slowly began to rotate in his position in midair. As he rotated, the women in the room could not help but think of him as a large cut of beef or pork having been put up on a hook to cool. "Are you that afraid of us that you would not even look at us?" the woman's voice was laced with fake hurtfulness as she crossed her slender legs one over the other.

Naruto shook his head violently, causing his body to spin at a slightly accelerated rate. "I'm not sc-scarred of you…" his voice shook ever so slightly making his words hard to believe.

"Well you should be," cooed a voice in his left ear, this woman's breath hot on his flesh. Shivers were sent down his spine as he was swung on chain so that he was facing a certain direction, only to be stopped by a pair of well-kept nails.

With his eyes still held tightly closed, he felt another woman come up from behind him and ensnare him in her heated arms. "Oh," she murmured as she hugged him against her chest, "then why are you all flustered and have your eyes shut? It's not very gentlemanlike to keep one's eyes shut in the presences of your hostesses."

Naruto gulped rather loudly as the two women continued to 'attack' him, one with warm embraces and the other with soothing hands. "W-well," he began from his perch, "seeing as you are all in a state of under-dress…I though it best to not stare…it'd be inconsiderate…" The cooing suddenly increased in intensity at such a 'gentlemanlike behavior', and luckily for Naruto the two women let go of him if only for a brief instance in time. He still had not dared to open his eyes in fear of being stamped as a pervert; for you see three out of the four women in the room were currently wearing the minimal of clothing.

The one seated on the couch just ahead of him, the one that had taken off his slim blindfold, was a woman of about twenty-two to twenty-four years of age. He had to admit that she was one of the most beautiful women that he had ever seen with her elegant curly black hair and penetrating crimson eyes, though every woman in the room had their own beauty and, in Naruto's opinion, they all rivaled each other in 'most beautiful'. Her delicate and slender legs were crossed firmly in front of her blocking her pitch black with red trimmed panties from view but the equally red and black-laced teddy top that she wore was completely visible along with her sizeable bust and ivory flesh.

The one that had turned him from his position in the air was also as scantily clad as the last only her top was more conservative then the latter's. She wore a combination of purple short-sleeved belly shirt, slightly larger then a sports bra, and equally purple panties trimmed in light pink border. Her hair was of an equally light purple, strung up in a strange bun, and her light brown almost caramel eyes dancing with mischief and cunning as she began to circle him once more, even though Naruto could not see their glint. At best she looked eighteen years of age, but the way she moved her body in those hypnotic ways made him guess higher, maybe twenty. What had caught his eye though were the lines of writing that were settled not only in the center of her shirt, right between her equally sizeable bust, but also in the center of her panties as well. They read '_My_ snake is BIGGER then yours' with two cartoonish serpents on either side of the writing, one indeed bigger then the other. The hidden meaning was not lost to Naruto as he blushed at the memory of the writing and had to fight off his baser instinct to crack open one of his eyes and peer at the lower writing.

The third woman that had embraced him from behind wore more moderate clothing considering the other two. Her outfit consisted of a normal short-sleeved shirt of the likes that was tighter then normal ones, and wore boy cut panties. Both the shirt and the undergarment were a mixture of brown and white. No other designs were found on her person, but the strange red, triangle shaped tattoos that she had draw on each of her cheeks did pique his interest quite a bit, as well as the fiery look in her onyx eyes. Her long chocolate brown hair, which was held in a high flowing ponytail, did remind him of some sort of an actual tail like you would find on a canine. She too looked eighteen but with the way her and the purple clad woman were acting he would also guess older, if only by one year.

The last woman in the room, though, intrigued him. She sat in a far off chair, her legs drawn up underneath her body as to allow her whole figure to sit in the reclining chair without placing the leg rest out. In her two hands was held a book with the title of 'How farm animals can be used as artillery' and her nose was buried deep within its pages only pulling back when the page needed turning. Her violet hair shaded her eyes from his view so he had yet to see her eye color, but he had no doubt that it would be onyx, just like the woman in the brown clothing. But what struck him as odd was that the clothing she wore was at best military issued, hiding all that made her a woman from view as well as her age. A black and gray top sweatshirt and bottom sweatpants were what she wore; it was as if she had no imagination in choosing otherwise.

"Ooh, did you hear that Nai-chan?" began the purple and pink wearing woman as she draped herself over Naruto's left side, clinging tightly to his body and allowing her warmth to penetrate into his being. "He doesn't want to be vulgar and look at our _youthful_ bodies without our permission." When she ended her speech she grew rigid against the younger mans body, a cold sweat broke out across her flesh and she gazed at the black clad woman in shock. "Kurenai… did I just…" her words were shaking, as if she was on the verge of a mental break down.

Nodding sadly the eldest of all the women spoke softly, "Yes you did, Anko…"

A scream pierced the air like the fang of a large dog, jagged and painful. "Hana-chan, Operation AHS 19 stat!" her voice was desperate and she clung to Naruto all that more fiercely, causing his blush to rush across his body. He could currently feel every contour of her body as she pressed herself against him and he did not know how much more he could take of the close body-on-body before he either passed out or went into a psychotic episode.

By now, Naruto had opened his eyes to see this peculiar scene unfold and almost wished he didn't as he saw a ceramic bottle, brimming with sake, come sailing from within the direction of the kitchen. Closer and closer it sailed, he could almost feel its hard ceramic surface shattering against his face, ripping it to shreds and adding more scars to his collection. But just as it was mere centimeters from his face, the hand of his seducer sprang from its position on his opposite shoulder and snagged the bottle from midair. In one fluid motion she began chugging the small bottle of alcohol all the while crushing the face of our protagonist to her decent sized breast, nearly suffocating the young man.

With both a gasp of needed air and a sigh of content in the same instance, Anko grinned proudly, her teeth flashing in the light, "I needed that." It was at that instant that she heard a faint mumbling coming from within her breasts, and glancing downwards quickly, eyebrow raised, she understood why.

With his hands still suspended above his head, and fixated there, Naruto had no way of escaping the prison that was this woman's, Anko's, cleavage. Slowly the light began to fade from his world and the words of the outside world began to dull. So this was how he was going to die, within the breasts of an unknown woman? Pain erupted form his hair follicles as Anko pulled his face out from between her breasts only to hold his face mere centimeters from her own.

He gulped in air like a landed fish gulps in water, but he quickly gulped in surprise and fear as a predatory look came into Anko's eyes as she gazed at him. Just like a grown python gazes at a caught fox. "I usually ask for dinner before we head for the foreplay…but…" a smirk that scared him made its way onto her face as she began to stroke one of his 'whiskered' cheeks, electing a sudden and throaty moan from the young man. The smirk only grew larger. "Seeing as you don't like to 'beat around the bush' I guess I can make an exception… though I wouldn't mind 'beating around _your_ bush'…uh…um…"

The smirk dropped, though her hand did not, and she studied the young mans face, searching it for some type of secret. He seemed familiar but she could not place his face, curse her horrible memory. Turning her head towards the violet haired woman as she continued to read in the chair, ignoring the brunette, Hana, as she hovered around the right side of his body, and asked, "Do you know who this kid is, Yugao-chan?"

Said woman, Yugao, paused in her reading and looked up at the two other women as they continued to 'assault' and 'attack' the younger man. Her black eyes soon cascaded across the body of the blond hair man, taking in every inch of his person and committing it to memory as he hung there in a sensual bliss due to the assault on his 'whiskers'. She did a twice over of the man just to make sure she missed nothing and turned back to her intriguing book. Seconds passed and by now Kurenai returned from her room now wearing more suitable clothing, a black and red pair of sweat pants and a red and black long sleeved shirt, only for no noise to come from the violet haired woman with the exceptions of the turning of the pages in her book.

"Well?!" said Hana and Anko simultaneously both stopping in the treatment of their blond captive. This action caused their prisoner to slowly regain his bearings and thought process.

"His name is Uzumaki Naruto, newly appointed Genin of the Hidden Leaf Village due to a confrontation with the deceased traitor, Mizuki. Birth date: October ten. Age: fourteen. Height: Four feet seven inches tall. Weight: one hundred and twenty-five pounds. Blood type: 'O' negative. Main features: blond hair, and three 'whisker' like marks on each of his cheeks. Also he is the container of the evil demon Kyubi-no-Kitsune that attacked our Village, Konohagakure, fourteen years ago. Since the Yondaime Hokage could not defeat it, the Demon was Sealed within his belly." During the entire explanation she did not once look away from her book nor did her voice fluctuate in anyway.

The room grew deathly silent, as if the Grim Reaper himself had descended upon their dwelling, waiting for the first to utter a word and then take their life. Slowly all eyes turned from the still reading woman towards the blond in question, eyes filled with fear and sorrow. What they found was not rage nor were there tears but a face of utter indifference, a face that cared nothing of what was just said. Looking from one frightened face to the next, Naruto was wondering what was wrong, wondering why each of the beautiful women before him looked like they were to die at a moments notice, with the exception of one.

"What?" asked Naruto as he looked from one face to the next starting with the face of the Anko woman and ending with the Yugao woman, "Is there something on my face?" He promptly ignore the three women as the face faulted into the carpeted floor of the living room as he tried to brush whatever non-existent 'thing' was on his face, only to find that his hands were still unusable.

"Um…well Uzumaki-san," Kurenai stated from her position on a three-seater couch, her posture was a forced one of relaxation like she was trying to act aloft while on the inside she was frightened for her life. "Did you not just hear what was said just now? About the Fox?"

Naruto raised, or at least tried to raise, one of his eyebrows in confusion. "Yeah," he started slowly drawing all eyes, even those of the reading beauty, to his own, "so what?"

"SO WHAT?" howled Hana spinning him on his chain to face her, bringing him a full sixty-seven degrees to his left. "The Sandaime made a law that, and I quote: 'Whoever tells of the secret of the Nine-tailed Fox to the younger generation or to the container himself shall be charged with high treason and executed as such.'" By now her voice was quivering as if she was on the verge of tears the fear of loosing her life crushing her life some great boulder.

Seeing the distress Naruto frowned. So that was one of the reasons why no one told him of the secret, in fear that they would be killed. Frowning deeper at her tears he swung his legs as if he were on a swing and gently bumped into the shaking brunette. Her eyes turned to him to find him facing the other way, his gaze not meeting hers, "Well it's not like I didn't already know, so from what I see you're in the clear. I won't rat on you…"

She stared at him for several seconds as he neglected to meet any of the girls eyes, even Anko's as she continued to hang on him, before smiling. "Thank you…"

"Yeah yeah, mushy stuff is now over!" Anko exclaimed as she draw both Naruto's eyes as well as his body closer to her own, if that was even possible. Lowering her face until it was dangerously close to his own she continued, "So, what's it like? The _Demon_?"

Naruto, along with everyone else looked at Anko like she was mad or grown another head just beside her original. The Snake Whisperer swiveled her eyes from Naruto's stunning sapphires to take brief glances at all the others in the room, Kurenai sitting modestly on the couch, Yugao perked up slightly in her arm chair, and Hana draping herself over Naruto's other half, and continued. "Its not like you gals ain't curious about the Kyubi? I can see it in your eyes." She turned her caramel orbs back to Naruto; inching closer so that her breath washed over his face like an enticing breeze, "So spill."

"W-well," he stammered, the proximity of their faces driving him both mad as well as into a frightful panic. "Could you f-first back u-up about an I-inch or f-four…"

This time it was Hana that pressed closer, her breasts flush against both his chest and back, "We, meaning Anko and I, we find it easier to obtain information if the subject is _pressed_ to tell it. Won't you agree…" she all but purred into his ear. She an Anko always found it enjoyable to torture individuals, especially cute ones like this one between them; he gave off the most delicious scent of fear and embarrassment, and of something else she could not place her finger on.

"T-true…" stuttered the squished blonde.

"So what's he like? Huge? Mean? Sarcastic? Hideous? What, what?" chimed Anko childishly.

"First off," Naruto said firmly, pushing away from the woman's face and turning to face the two other women in the room, his face was surprisingly firm and his words held much weight behind them, "Yoko is not a man, nor is _she_ a Demon. She's not all bad once you get to know her!"

Kurenai's eyes hardened marginally as she heard that last point. Uncrossing her legs she leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees, she began her interrogation of the boy before her. "And how can you trust this 'Yoko'?" she asked her voice cold, "'She', if it truly is a she, destroyed most if of our Shinobis fourteen years ago as well as caused the death of our greatest Hero, the Yondaime Hokage! How can you even comprehend trusting her?!"

For the first time during his entire 'kidnapping' and detaining, Naruto's eyes grew frosty and both Anko and Hana pulled away, but did not fully detach themselves from him, in minor fear as they wondered what could be the cause of such hostility. "Try seeing it from her point of view, and don't jump to conclusions-"

"Then please enlighten us." Her tone was equally as frosty. When the young Yondaime was alive, Kurenai, as well as most of the other adolescent females, was enthralled with the kind and handsome man, and the loss of him dealt her, and most of the other adolescent females, a major blow to her view on love and men. So it was easy to see why the young crimson-eyed woman held some resentment towards the 'Demon'.

Naruto glared just a bit more before sighing in defeat. He gently turned inward to ask his tenant if he may enlighten the four young women before him about her past love life, or lack there of. She caressed his cheek in answer, not trusting her own voice at the moment do to the yawn that threatened to overtake her mouth, and he nodded in return silently promising to tell them the bare minimum. Turning his gaze back to the fuming woman before him he leveled the best half-hearted glare he could muster. "Lets just say that Yoko was slightly jealous of the Yondaime's wife…"

"The Yondaime Hokage was never married in any way, shape, or form…" Yugao uttered as she gazed intently into his eyes. But just by the look in her pitch-black orbs, Naruto knew that her clogs were moving at a blinding pace. Kurenai had a similar look upon her face as well as Hana and Anko.

It was common knowledge that the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, was never married unlike the past Hokages…at least to everyone but Uzumaki Naruto. In fact he could never, or more accurately, _would_ never marry in fear of allowing openings for terror attacks to befall on his loved ones in order to get to the 'Yellow Flash'. But this did not stop nobles, nations, and Fangirls alike in vying for his heart, the thought of catching the uncatchable making the feat that much more enticing.

Naruto looked from one thought filled face to the other and could not help but wonder what had caused them to fall so deep in thought. Had it not been known that the Yondaime was married? Naruto could not conceive why one would want to keep a thing such as a wife a secret, why one would want to keep ones most loved and cherished person hidden? If he were in the Yondaime's shoes, he would shout to the world his fortune and show to all his love.

"Yes but what would happen if your enemies got wind of your love? Do you think they would just sit tight and let your love flourish? I think that they would come, in the dead of night, in _droves_, to tear that love away from you and to make you suffering ten times more horrible then any Hell that could be forged within you mind or being."

Naruto gasped from his position in midair. So that was why he wished for no one to know of his marriage to Uzumaki Kushina, his mother. But more thoughts ran rampant in his mind, just like the girls before him but it seemed that their musing were coming to an end, and as his mind began to form around a central thought he could not help a bestial grin from forming on his face. _'So that's what my father thought?'_

"That's what every man and every Hero thinks," whispered Yoko from within his mind.

"_Then my father was a coward! A fool that was so feeble that he could not protect that which was most important to him!"_ his retort was harsh and firm, boiling with anger and spite.

Yoko was stunned by his remark, flabbergasted and slightly proud! She was amazed that this man, just at the beginning of his adult life, could say such a thing about a man that was thought of as one of the most powerful beings to roam the earth. It caused her heart to beat with a new intensity and a new fervor. "And w-why would you t-think something like t-that?" her voice was timid and her breath was short. If she was to be honest, whenever he acted like this, whenever he showed his confidence to the world and shattered all misgivings and non-believers, her blood ran hot and her skin grew tight.

The grin grew more potent and more savage, _"If he thought that he was too weak to protect that which was precious to him then he was weak! That's why _Iwillsurpasshim_!" _

Yoko couldn't stop herself as her blush increased to an unknown level and her heart raced at an unknown pace. Soon all grew black as her heart rate and her blush reached its utmost level and she was rendered unconscious. It seemed that another one of her few weaknesses was the fact that she found strong, reliable, and dependable men, especially Naruto and only Naruto, to be one of the things that took her breath away. Literally.

The moment that Yoko struck the floor of her cage in a blissful dreamless-sleep, it seemed that all of the women that occupied the small apartment had come to the same conclusion and were currently mere inches from his face with Yugao, her callused hand placed on each of his cheeks, turning his face this way and that. Each of the young ladies inspected him, modestly, in one-way or another. Kurenai was running her manicured nails through his honey colored locks, resulting in a soft purr from the captive man. Anko was caressing his clothed chest, back, and arms marveling at the steel like muscles that was overlaid with skin; causing a quickening in his breath. Hana was taking in his scent, her nose near his temple and burrowing need into his hair to revel in his scent.

As one all of the young ladies that had crushed his form with their developed bodies backed away, blushes on some faces, grins on others. Some forms were rigid, as if the person had come across some type of secret that could cause the collapse of a civilization, while some forms held themselves as if they had found the greatest toy that could ever be found. Their eyes were what frightened him the most, though. They all held a light of newfound respect and admiration with splashes of individual emotions thrown in such as, but not limited to: understanding, commitment, loyalty, and playful cunning. Kurenai's eyes brimmed with small tears as she realized what had happened in order for him to come into being. Yugao's eyes shown with a light like a Samurai had found its new leader. Hana's eyes reminded him of a lost puppy's as it accepted its new Master and friend. And Anko's, her eyes flowed with a light of mixed understanding along with a sly glint that sent shivers down his spine.

"You're…" Kurenai could not form words as she gazed at his chained body. All she could see before her was a sad, sorrowful Hero that would never be, as well as her own mistake of not seeing the most obvious of truths.

"You are the son of Namikaze Minato, are you not?" drawled Yugao, her voice only shivering in the slightest.

Naruto looked from one face, flush with knowledge and excitement, to another, to another, to another. Each of the females before him were waiting for an answer to quell their minds, to pacify their tormented thoughts. He could feel a grin like the one just moments ago, when he was speaking with his inner Angel, spread across his face. His voice when he spoke was quiet and deep, nearly insane with glee, "And what if I were?"

Anko barked with laughter, holding her sides so they would not split her being in two, tears streamed down the sides of her face. Kurenai held her hands before her mouth as tears spilled from her eyes and formed rivers down her flush cheeks. Yugao, surprisingly, dropped to one knee and placed her right closed fist over her heart. Hana's mouth hung open as if its hinges were broken and her eyes were wide as if she had seen a ghost. All were priceless expressions and Naruto wished that he could have had a camera in order to capture this moment for all of time.

His eyes moved towards the still bowed Yugao and couldn't help but snort. "Stand up," he almost hissed, "I haven't done anything to warrant such respect."

Yugao looked up as if startled even though her face spoke nothing of it and stood, albeit uncomfortably. "You are the son of the most powerful Hokage this Village as ever seen, by all rights you _are_ Royalty."

Naruto scoffed loudly, something that none of the women in the room, with the exception of Anko, could hope to conceive in a situation such as this. He turned his head away from the women before him, as they stood before the couch of the medium sized living room, before continuing. "You call him powerful, but if he thought that he could not protect that which was most precious to him, his wife, and kept her in hiding, then he is as weak and pitiful as the next street punk out there…"

"Take that back," screamed Kurenai, her tears forgotten yet her face was still flush, this time with rage. "Minato-sama was a great man, the best-"

"Then why didn't he _embrace_ his wife in public, or _show_ her to the world? He kept her _hidden_ like some type of _horrible secret_, like a _bad habit_ that should never been known." Naruto's eyes grew fierce and his body tensed, like a cornered canine. His hands twitch violently and soon the sound of shattering steel resounded in the small room, chain links falling at his feet like cherry blossoms, showcasing strength that Naruto himself did not know existed. His feet touched the ground with little to no sound yet his muscles still held firm like coiled steel rods. "That's what separates me from him…" his eyes gazed hungrily at the girls before him, their pupils no longer circular but slit down the center, feline almost.

Kurenai then felt her folly, her foolishness. This boy before her never knew a woman's touch nor the love of a member of the fairer sex, so he would treasure this emotion above all that existed. But she also saw the reason behind Minato's action, the want to protect that which was most sacred. Such a tender and delicate subject she had fallen into with this young man, yet at the same time most challenging. Challenging in the way that Naruto phrased his retort. He had risen an extremely and surprising point, and the way that he delivered said point caused her analytical mind to run quickly. Unknowing he had stated something that caused the young woman to doubt her own intuition, her thinking that he was all steam with no push, and made her ponder. When she had first conceived the idea of his secret marriage, the idea of keeping his wife hidden from his enemies, namely Iwa Shinobi and other opposing forces from within his own Village, she had understood entirely and agreed in the dead mans decision. But in hearing Naruto's take on his fathers actions she saw things anew. Had the man she had been so enthralled with in her younger years been so frightened of his love that he would meet her in secret, love her in silence, caress her with no ones knowledge? Had this man been so scared of his own weakness that he would put up a front so false? She saw his point.

Bowing her head dutifully to the younger man she whispered, "Uzumaki-san, I'm…I'm sorry." Her voice was quiet and all in the room looked at her, for Kurenai rarely ever apologized for her misunderstands. "I see where you are coming from and I understand you view on Minato-sama. I'm sor-"

"Ah, don't worry about it," his reply was lighter then what it was moments ago, but the cloud still hung on his words and form. "Everyone has someone they don't see eye-to-eye with…mine is just my 'god-like' 'father'…" a sigh escaped his lips, his hand rose to shade his eyes from the world so he didn't see the eyes of each of the women before him as they took a moment to focus on those that they hated; a snake, a bitch, sleazy males, and betrayers running rampant in the women's minds.

"Kurenai-san was it?" Naruto asked, his eyes still hidden from view, "may I have a seat?"

"O-of course, it's the least-"

"Nai-chan," Anko and Hana whined as they curled up on either side of the young blond as he flopped down on the comfortable couch, after saying a quiet and heart felt 'thank you' that is.

"He said you don't have to worry about it anymore, so drop it!" Hana said as she glared at the onyx haired woman as she went to sit on the armrest of Yugao's reading chair.

Kurenai blushed hotly at the barb but knew that it was in jest and to humble her so she let it slide. "Very well," she said to Hana steamingly. She soon turned her eyes to the blond as he leaned back on his position on the couch his head and closed eyes titled upwards towards the white ceiling, seemingly not taking notice of either Hana's nor Anko's close body. "Now Namikaze-san wh-"

"Please, just call me Naruto. As you may know formalities and I don't mix on most occasions, so just call me Naruto. I am your new neighbor by the way." Most knew of Naruto's 'disrespect' to the Sandaime, so learning that he did not wish to be called by title was not a surprise. "And by the way," he leaned his head forward and leveled his eyes with all of the girls, his face firm yet oddly tired, "lets just keep the information of my Dad and Mom a secret from…everyone else."

Nods, hesitant but firm, followed shortly after that, but as Naruto gazed at the woman named Kurenai something began to click within his mind. Leveling a bent finger at the older woman, making sure not to brush against anything of Anko's that he shouldn't as she sat between him and the woman named Kurenai, he asked, "Are you the Sensei of Hyuga Hinata by any chance?"

Realizing that the did not even know who his 'kidnappers' were, Kurenai took the initiative to introduce herself and to get the ball rolling for those who would follow after her. Sitting as straight as she could on the small armrest, unknowingly accenting her breast to a subtly blushing Naruto, she began. "Yes. I am the new Sensei to Hinata. My name is Yuhi Kurenai."

He nodded slowly, drinking in her form, and processing her with his keen eyes. She seemed the type that thought things through thoroughly, planned out battles before they even commenced. The air around her also seemed to speak of caring and protectiveness, like a mother or older sister. She was also Hinata's new Sensei…good. He nodded as he thought of the implications. He knew that Hinata was timid and shy, easily intimidated, and, for lack of a better term, a doormat. But knowing that someone like this woman was to be her teacher and mentor caused him to feel strangely at ease. Looking into her eyes he spoke firmly, "Good. I have a feeling I can trust you so please take good care of her. I don't want anything bad happening to those I care for, so please watch over her."

Kurenai blushed at the subtle praise and complement of him trusting her with such a delicate individual, and at the line that he cared for Hinata. She knew of Hinata's long standing crush on the blond and what she had seen so far could not leave any bad tastes in her mouth in the thought of the two following some type of relationship in the future. He was extremely sincere when it came to women, and he was surprisingly polite when the situation called for it. If she were to be honest, he was what every man should be…too bad he was a good eight years too young…

"Mitarashi Anko!" hollered Anko from her position next to Naruto, making him jump almost directly into her lap but not quite into it, much to her disappointment. She too tried to accent her breasts towards Naruto and smirked as his blush grew tremendously. She was beginning to like this boy more and more…so easy to tease and his responses to the teasing were just _delicious_.

"Uzuki Yugao…" was the quiet response of the plum haired woman. The more Naruto saw of this young lady the more and more interested with her he became.

"And finally Inuzuka Hana," Hana said politely, but as she shimmied closer to the blond he thought that the kind tone of voice was just a front for something grander…albeit darker as she scooted closer to his form…

He looked at the Inuzuka daughter for several seconds before his eyes widened and he moved his finger that once pointed at the crimson-eyed woman to point anew at Hana. His voice was awed as he spoke to her, forgetting for the brief instance that her body was pressing itself against his, which in turn pressed his body against Anko's body behind him. "You wouldn't happen to be a relative of Inuzuka Kiba would you?"

A brief, yet noteworthy sour look crossed Hana's face for all but two seconds before she smiled at the awed blond. "Yes, I am," she sighed as if she was exhausted; "I'm that…I'm his older sister."

Naruto studied her face for several seconds, taking in the fang like marks on her cheeks, chocolate brown hair, onyx eyes, and longer then normal canine teeth. "You know, you may be his sister, but you're so much different from him…" she looked more intently into his eyes, subconsciously pressing her body against his. "Nicer, c-cuter, and uh-uh sweeter," he added hastily.

A satisfied smile creased her face and she soon brought him into a fierce hug, crushing his head to her chest and nuzzling the crown of his head with her nose, a sign of great affection among the members of the canine like clan. "Thank you Naruto-kun, that was so sweet!"

A look of challenge crossed Anko's face and she went to lunge at the two embracing individuals. But before she could drag the blond from the arms and nose of the young Inuzuka Kurenai's voice cut threw her and ended her assault. "So what brings you to our apartment? I didn't know that you had begun to even live near here until you showed up at our front door." She neglected to mention the 'kidnapping' and Naruto did not press for it.

"Well, you may not know this but, I have moved into Iruka-sensei's old apartment since last night seeing as…" he grew silent after he said this. By now he had disengaged himself from Hana's hold but he still kept in close proximity to her as well as Anko as Anko casually draped her arm over his shoulder. He soon continued in his tale, taking the briefest of instances to wonder why the two women on either side of him were so…friendly with him. "I was wondering if you young ladies knew where the nearest laundry mat was or a place where I could wash my clothes."

Kurenai smiled at the question. This answered two of her questions about the blonde before her. One was why he was in front of their door during their relaxation time. This was a 'Shinobi only' apartment complex and when it came to _this_ floor of the complex, the fourth floor, only six rooms were located on it: four for the persons that were in the room currently (they would all congregate to one of the four apartments during their relaxing time to socialize, watch movies, and they all take turns hosting dinner), one for the deceased Iruka, and another one that was never rented. The other question that was posed was why the boy had held a ten-packet box of instant ramen. Seeing as he was now their neighbor it seemed that he had been trying to be a nice neighbor and introduce himself as well as present them with a 'house warming' gift. She smiled once again.

"Well Naruto we would be happy to show you to where the laundry mat is, now wouldn't we girls," her smile turned into some kind of maniacal smirk. The clouds formed behind her, frothed and gurgled all the while spewing forth torments of lightening. Her eyes began to glow with a light not much different then Hinata's or Ayame's furious glare.

Naruto tried to back away from the empowered female but found himself wedged between two hungry women, the eyes simmering with a glint that he did not know all too well. Before he knew what had happened he was pinned to the wall just to the right of the couch, inches from the sliding glass door that led to the small balcony, and directly across from the hallway that led to the front door of the apartment. Their bodies were once again hot against his own, flush against his chest and side, and he cursed that moment for Yoko to be fast asleep. Anko had placed herself and her body flush against his chest, pinning him to her and the wall, her lips once again inches from his own. Hana had taken to pinning his right arm against her chest and the wall seeing as pinning his left arm would place her directly against the sliding glass door.

Kurenai came up behind the two, Yugao a step behind her and to her left, her face still buried in her strange book. When the crimson-eyed mistress spoke her voice was like thunder and her words were like a piercing lance. "For seeing the four us in such a state of undress I shall let Anko and Hana choose your punishment." She turned her back to the restrained blond so he could not hear the giggles and see the smile that threatened to shatter her face. She knew that he boy had not meant to see what he saw but she needed to teach him a lesson all the while having a smidgen of fun in the process.

The looks on both Hana's face as well as Anko's face made Naruto wish for death. The leers of their eyes, the heat of the flesh, the softness bodies, the smiles of their lips, all of this caused him much fear. His mind was made to halt as Anko's steaming and pleasant breath washed across his face, her lips closer than ever. "Your interesting Namikaze Naruto…" her voice was soft, soothing, kind even, and only loud enough for Hana and himself to hear. "…so for that I will give a little…happiness before your humiliation." She moved her lips closer still and at that moment the world froze.

A fear washed over Naruto. It was her lips that caused the fear, the horror. It was not that her lips were uninviting, quite the opposite, but the words that Yoko had told him that morning rang through his mind. If he were to kiss her in this instance she would be bound to him until the day he died. In his short time with these girls he had come to enjoy them, but to go that far was frightening to him. Too much too soon.

A growl filled the air and in a rush of wind and strength, both Hana and Anko were thrown from Naruto's body. They sailed through the air, Hana landing safely on the couch, and Anko being caught successfully by Yugao. Kurenai whipped around startled as she felt something strange shift in the air of the apartment, as if a window was just opened and new streams of wind fluttered in. The boy was hunched just marginally and his fingers were bent, as if his hands were claws, his eyes were hard if not a little frightened; almost beast like. Chills crept across each of the girls' skin when his eyes focused on their own but just as their depths were about to swallow them whole they changed, changed back into the eyes of a loudmouthed teenager.

Before any of the women could move from their position a shift of life giving Chakra alerted them of an incoming Ninjutsu of Genjutsu from the young man. Naruto saw of the women tense and he could not help but smirk for they should ready themselves. Snapping his hands in front of his chest in the form of some type of cross to fend off evil and those that meant ill. The air around him seemed to swirl and churn and once he felt his own Chakra reach the optimal level he performed his technique.

"Art of the Shadow Doppelganger!"

A pulse of Chakra and three puffs of smoke filled the room and the four combat hardened women had to suppress the instinct to both leap backwards as well as retaliate. When the Ninjutsu smoke dissipated the four women were surprised to see not one, not two, but four identical blonds standing side by side. They stood in a straight line with the real, or supposedly real, Naruto standing only an inch of so ahead of the others, their expressions all holding the same infectious grin and sparkling sapphire eyes. The real Naruto did not allow the four to react or retaliate as he spun in his position so he faced his three other 'partners in crime'.

No words were exchanged between the original and the Doppelgangers but nods did, and soon the three Doppelgangers were enshrouded in a bright orange light, near blinding. Again the girls had to suppress the urge to retaliate and the likes when they became blinded but their surprise of what lay hidden in the light once it died shock overran all of their combat instincts. The first thing that captured their attention was that there was a new sea of blond before them yet strangely each blond head they saw was a different style and shade. Each of the Doppelgangers had drastically changed and each of the women did not quite know what to think.

Two of the 'new' Doppelgangers height caught the girls attention the most as the two new men stood a good head above all of the occupants of the room, with the original Naruto and the other long haired Doppelganger remaining at the same height. One of the taller of the Doppelgangers wore all black, an outfit that looked like it deserved to be wore decades ago, which accented his blond nearly orange hair to where it seemed to 'pop', and what struck the girls, more Yugao then anyone else, was a large sword that was strapped to his back. It was not uncommon for warriors to have swords of any sizes strapped to their backs for easy access but what startled the Kunoichi was the sheer size of the weapon. It was crafted in the same way as a normal katana but it was nearly a foot wide and it was long as the orange haired man was tall. The next tallest wore some type of blood red duster which reached all the way to his black combat like boots. Pushed high on his nose was a pair of circular orange sunglasses, which contrasted well with the man's blond hair, hair that, if one looked at it, resembled the bristles of a broom. The last remaining transformed Doppelganger was almost the same height as the original Naruto, but with much longer hair held securely in a twisted braid that draped itself between his two shoulder blades. An equally blood red trench coat hung on his small frame with black, possibly leather, pants clinging to his legs. White gloves concealed his hands from prying eyes, something that puzzled the four analytical women.

"So what's up kid, why'd you bring us out like this?" asked the sword toting blond as he glared down at the smaller blond, hooking his thumbs in thin white sash around his waist.

Naruto looked up at the taller blond, an equally defiant look marring his face but a look of intrigue glinted in his cobalt eyes. _'This was weird, this Doppelganger is acting much differently then what I…he…_it_ would'_, thought the young blond. Redoubling his glare Naruto marched up to the swordsmen and poked him firmly in the chest, "Where do you get off thinking you can order me, the original, around? Hmm?"

The blond sword wielder smirked and lowered his head so it was level with the black and red shirted teenager. "I get off where 'I'm not a Doppelganger anymore'…"at the look of Naruto's face growing white he pressed further, taking a step ahead forcing the young Hero-in-Training towards the predators. "Since your 'Doppelgangers' have no real soul ours overtake them and pretty much get our old bodies back until the watch 'times out'…" in a flash the taller man had the quivering blond in a fierce and unbreakable head lock, squeezing his skull between his upper arm and his chest, and his fist quickly made work on the young blonds unprotected scalp.

The other of the taller blonds smiled in pity at Naruto's predicament, shaking his head to the left and to the right. He took an attentive step forwards, his hands moving in a pacifying gesture, while the smaller blond crossed his arms before his chest and looked the other way, finding the far wall much more interesting. "Now, now Ichigo…" he said trying to get the two, who now had Naruto perched on top of said Ichigo's head tearing at his hair, to calm, "I'm sure that Naruto-kun called us here for a legitimate reason so let's hear him out."

The two paused in their battle, staring at the duster wearing man with looks of ridicule. As one, even with Naruto still perched on Ichigo's shoulders, both Ichigo and Naruto jabbed their index fingers in the direction of the broom headed man. "We reject your criticism on our actions Vash!"

The shorter of the 'new' Doppelgangers sighed at their interaction and punctually unfolded his crossed arms. With quick and even strides he made his way towards the stacked blonds and promptly 'whapped' both of the individuals upside the head with his right hand. Naruto and Ichigo fell to the ground, nursing their new goose eggs that sprouted from their heads, cursing loudly at the 'shrimps' harsh actions. But once this phrase left the mouths of the two blonds, the third blond, now empowered with the strength that all vertically challenged individuals possess, attacked the downed blonds, forming a withering, cursing, and battering heap of yellow, red, and black.

Unfortunately none of the blonds from Vash standing over the three feuding teens, to Naruto as he began to gnaw on Ichigo's exposed left ankle, to the other little blond, Edward, as he tried vainly to strangle Ichigo, to Ichigo as he tried to shatter both of the other blonds skulls together noticed that the girls of the room had disappeared for some time. A throaty cough altered the four blonds that their attention was needed elsewhere and as one they all turned to where their attention needed to be, only to gape in horror. Each of the women in the room had seemed to take the time that the three blonds had given them while they fought and decided to change their clothing into more…_chase_ worthy attire.

The first that caught Team Blonds eyes was how Yugao had chosen to dress herself…in her entire ANBU attire, complete with gray armor and porcelain Cat mask. The next was Anko's choice of dress…or lack there of with her auburn trench coat _just_ hiding her fishnet 'armor' from view and her slender and short tan skirt barely hiding her modesty. Anko also wore silver shin guards that reached from the tops of her shoes to just below her knees. Kurenai was another surprise to the four blonds; her outfit looked more like many thick, white ribbons coiled around her form, parting slightly in the area of her chest to reveal a minimum amount of cleavage, and one long red sleeve hiding the entirety of her right arm form view. Hana was also dressed to 'kill'…literally. Her apparel was similar to Anko's but instead of a full height trench coat she wore a zipped coat similar to Hinata's, if only zipped to the middle of her breasts. Underneath it was a familiar fishnet upper body armor, again similar to Anko's though she wore a sleeveless workout shirt under the armor, but unlike Anko she wore full length pants of a earthy brown tint the hugged her legs, thighs, and hips like a glove. Another thing that the four men noticed was that each of the girls wore an assortment of weapons and harmful tools on their thighs, lower legs, and back.

The look of hunger once again radiated from the eyes of Anko and Hana, Kurenai had a look of curiosity laced her eyes with a dash of anger, and Yugao…her eyes could not be seen due to the painted Cat mask that hid her face. The atmosphere of the room seemed to drop several degrees and the Team Blond could not help but shiver in fear.

"What was the reason you brought us here again?" asked Ichigo quietly fearing that his voice would provoke the lionesses before him and his comrades.

Naruto chuckled nervously as Anko took a wide step forward, the glint in her eyes shining even brighter. He successfully untangled himself from the heap of limbs that were his own, Ichigo's, and Edward's, and stood to his full height…something that was not that impressive. A stare down was soon fought between the four girls and Naruto, their wills being projected through their eyes and it seemed that Naruto was loosing as Anko, followed closely by a leering Hana, took yet another step forwards, arms outstretched to snag their prey.

Naruto took a minuscule step back in fear, less then an inch, and Anko and Hana to a larger step forwards in confidence. His arms shot out and grabbed Ichigo and Edward by their collars and wrenched them to their feet. Ichigo tried vainly to find out how this situation had come about and how it pertained to them but in a loud proclaiming voice Naruto hollered, "Less talking, more running! Team Blond disperse!"

As if the four individuals had rehearsed this moment in time for hours on end, all four of them jumped as one into some type of peculiar formations all the while shouting "Yes Sir!" their teeth flashing and their arms and hands spread out in some strange way. Before any of the women in the room, namely Anko and Hana, could pounce on their blond prey, the four of the blonds had slid the glass sliding door open wide and, in one flooded movement, made themselves airborne. They leapt off of the small balcony high into the afternoon sky with Naruto rotating in midair to flash those that wished to pursue them a cheeky and arrogant smile.

"I've outrun an entire squad of ANBU after I super glued their masks to their faces… in the middle of their covert training exercise last year. You guys have no hope, _whatsoever_, of capturing us!" Naruto laughed loudly at their flabbergasted faces…though Yugao was still hard to read… But as he continued to giggle at the four star struck women flanked with his comrades in blond, he could not help but think that there was one less then what there should be.

"What-so-ev-er?" cooed a voice in his ear as two arms ensnared him, drawing out each of the syllable of the words spoken. It was then that Naruto realized who was missing…the creepy, touchy-feely woman named Anko, who was now hugging him to her chest.

Naruto could not suppress a girlish scream from escaping his lips as she nipped the outer lobe of his left ear. By now Team Blond had touched down on the nearest roof, which was also just one rooftop from the vixens apartment balcony, and had formed some type of Triangle formation with Ichigo, Vash, and Edward at each of the points and Naruto in the center, entrapped by the slender, yet surprisingly sturdy arms of Mitarashi Anko. It did not matter how much Naruto thrashed, or jostle, or plead, or begged; Anko's arms stood firm and her chest soft. Unluckily the three other members of 'Team Hot', as Naruto mentally christened them, were now airborne and making their way towards the shambled team of blonds.

Growling loudly he swung his body as best he could so that his voice would reach the smallest of the Fists. "Ed," he hollered before being swung in the opposite direction by the giggling woman. "Ed!" he howled again, "Do something!"

"Like what?!" he asked as he kept a close eye on the incoming lionesses.

"Don't kno-mmm," he was cut short as Anko turned him so he was facing her and attempted to silence him with her inviting bosom. For just a moment he was able to pry himself from his prison and shouted through deep gasps of air, "Don't know! Don't care! Use your imagi-mmm!" Again he was cut off, her breasts stealing his oxygen.

"Ah, why would you want to get away from lil' ol' me?" the smotherer asked as she picked him and swung his legs to the left and to the right. Mock hurt filled her voice as she stopped her swinging and brought him even closer to her. "Can it be?! You find me repulsive?! Hideous?! _Deformed_?!" She howled in false sorrow, phony tears cascading down her smooth cheeks.

"Mow Med!! Mow!!" came Naruto's muffled plea which would translate to 'Now Ed! Now!', his vision fading…

"Alright. Vash get Naruto, Ichigo…try to fend off the girls."

"Like Hell…" muttered Ichigo, drawing his humungous sword nonetheless and stationing himself to meet the incoming attackers.

Vash all but nodded his consent and rushed the Anko woman, taking a frontal assault as the best to retrieve their 'Summoner' and inheritor of the Omnitrix. Edward bolted for her unprotected back and as he ran he slapped his hands together firmly in front of his chest, as if he were praying in mid stride, conjuring an image of what he wished to occur in his mind as to not harm the Mitarashi woman. Vash's skillful fingers and fast hands soon released Naruto from his human shackles in mere moments, and with a panting and dizzy Naruto held firmly in his grasp Vash jumped back to put as much distance between him and Naruto and the psychotic woman. Before Anko could retrieve her new human teddy bear she felt a tightening of her trench and saw arcs of lightning slithering and jumping up and down her sleeves. With a cry of shock, her arms, or more precisely her sleeves, crossed in front of her chest with the tail of her coat shrank while the sleeves of her coat lengthened. She soon found herself wearing an impromptu straightjacket of the same color and fabric of her old trench coat.

The clash of steel sobered Naruto all but instantly and he Vash whipped the two them towards the sounds source. Ichigo, grunting and cursing in strain and frustration, was currently holding back each of the weapons, two Kunai knives and a full length Katana, against his own beast of a weapon. But the strain of the girls swords and knives had forced the mighty man to one knee and he was failing fast with the Cat taking center and the canine and the mistress the left and the right respectively. Growling, not willing to be outdone by these four women, Naruto once again crossed his fingers before his heart.

"Art of the Shadow Doppelganger!" he bellowed from his position in Vash's arms. The rooftop was shrouded in the smoke caused by the Ninjutsu, blocking all sight. The opposing force of Ichigo's sword vanished and the three girls quickly righted themselves before they fell unto the rooftop flat on their faces. In a crouched position, legs bent and her placed palm flat on the roof tiles, Hana sniffed the air searching for the scent of the four blonds, using her lineage from the Villages best tracking Clan to use.

Visibility soon stabilized and all surroundings were made viewable in mere seconds. Once the surrounding rooftops and open sky became seeable the sight of four separate yet identical sets of Team Blond scurrying off to the four corners of the world. Four! Cursing loudly Hana registered what had just taken place, a rather ingenious and resourceful thing indeed. Seeing that he was out 'manned', Naruto had both used the 'Shadow Doppelganger' technique as a smoke cover as well as created a total of twelve Doppelgangers in the process. Once that was accomplished, Naruto then Transformed nine of the Doppelgangers into an exact duplicate of one of the three Fists and had sent them off, undoubtedly with one of the original Fists or even himself, in different directions in order to split up Team Hot. Clever, clever.

'Thuwmp'. "Sonofa-"

All eyes turned to the hog-tied Mitarashi Anko, restrained laughter flashing in their eyes…well all but Yugao's, she stood contemplating which cluster of Team Blonds' had the real original Naruto. Inch-worming her way towards the edge of the buildings roof, Anko was a sight to see. "Ooh that little Fox!" she began to rant, not taking notice of the snickering, and deadpanned, girls around her as she made her sluggish approach to the edge of the building, "He thinks he's escaped us, does he? He does! But he will learn the folly of his ways!" perking up like some type of serpent once she reached the edge of the building, Anko snickered venomously. "Kukuku… this battle has just begun my little toy, oh yes, _just_ begun. You will learn why we are feared, why men weep once we are done with them and why women cower in our shadows… kukuku yes my little toy…yes…" She hissed her last 's' and some thought that they saw her tongue flick out dangerously and lick her cheek and lips sensually.

Kurenai shook her head at Anko's actions as Yugao went and cut her from her self-made straightjacket, which she secretly thought that the young sweets lover needed at times. In the past she normally did these types of things, heading off on her own self-made crusade against some person or inanimate object, but in the past couple of years she had toned down mostly and had 'leveled' out. But with the appearance of this one teen, she had all but reverted back to the hyper, childish, scheming, plotting, chaining, torturing, seducing, tomboyish, stalker, rice ball eating self. Kurenai could not conceive whether she should be on guard with this new development or if she should 'go with the flow'. Don't misunderstand Yuhi Kurenai, she enjoyed the calmer Anko of the past few years but this Anko, the hyper, childish, scheming, plotting, chaining, torturing, seducing, tomboyish, stalker, rice ball eating Anko was the reason she had become friends with her in the first place. So it was a nice breath of fresh air to have her back.

"Now my comrades," now Anko was standing on the thin railing of the rooftop, hands placed firmly on her hips, or rather sleeves on her hips, and the excess sleeves pillowing majestically about her form as the breeze carried them this way and that. "Now my comrades, we have a truly challenging mission! Our prey as disappeared! I know that anyone of us could easily defeat this foe, but in his escape he has set forth traps in the form of these…'Fists'. Yes… they seem to be not of this world, strange and almost…alien with these 'powers' of theirs. But let this not deter you, for now we will split our front and match his! Each of us shall pursue a Team Blond and capture the real 'Uzumaki' Naruto." She made sure to use his 'true' name like the young blond had asked, something that Kurenai, Hana, and Yugao found out of place.

"Now go forth, my sisters dearest. Bring me the hide of that man…that Fox," her loud and boisterous conclusion died as she whispered the last part. With a firm and teary-eyed salute from Hana, a stiff acknowledgment from Yugao, and a wearisome gesture from Kurenai, Team Hot disappeared into the young evening for the 'order' was given and so the hunt was on…

XxXxX Place Unknown XxXxX

Within the confines of a secret location, within the clutches of a darkened and shadowed tree, a figure lurched. It had not moved for some time, there was no need to. Time slinked by like some type of sludge or tree sap, ticking away the day that seemed to have no hope of ending. The being had lost sight of the object of his observation some time ago, but knew that he was somewhere nearby. In fact the person had lost his target the moment he had been taken into that dwelling just down the hall from his new apartment. That was the only time he had shifted in his position, he shifted so he was able to see through those women's sliding glass door to make sure the teen was safe. He was safe within the apartment's intestines…but for how long? Those women were known for their 'cruelty' and 'tendencies' when it came to 'interacting' with the opposite sex. The figure in hiding could not make out what was said within the spacious living room but he found the interaction between the teen male and the Snake Mistress and Inuzuka very amusing. The scene played out more and the figure was all but loosing interest until the atmosphere changed in the room and the chained teen shattered the chains that held him quite literally. It startled the man in hiding that the young man could do such a feat seeing as most men of Chuunin level would find the act strenuous and all but impossible. The atmosphere soon returned to its strained relaxed state, but that did not last long as the blond man was reprimanded by the 'leader' of the four women in the room and pinned to the wall so his back was currently towards the hidden figure. Things started to gain interest as the teen once again did something that could be classified as amazing, not meaning that what the child did normally was not considered amazing seeing as he did super glue the masks of over ten different ANBU personnel to their faces during a covert training exercise in the middle of the day. What was amazing was that the teen had thrown off two high-leveled individuals from his person, one being Special Jounin and the other considered to be a Jounin as well, though she had yet to take the Exam for the promotion stating that her Veterinarian Clinic was far more important then more challenging missions. Once the 'harpies' were off him, the blond child performed his new signature move, the "Shadow Doppelganger', and divided himself into four different persons. What some don't know is that, even though this boy threw this technique about as if it were free candy, if anyone else were to try to make more than even one copy of himself at one time said person would be so drained of their Chakra that they would be on the verge of unconscious and soon death. A flash orange caught the figures attention and a chill of near horror crawled across his spine. It was the same orange burst of light that had brought those five lionesses into the world, those that had torn Mizuki into tiny pieces and scattered his ashes to the four winds. But what he now saw were not those Demonesses but rather three new blonds. The figure watched as three of the four blonds began to squabble and as the four women subtly excused themselves to places that the hidden man could not see or predict. Soon the women returned and when the concealed man saw how they presented themselves he knew that the blond young man was to pay…dearly. The scuffle stopped shortly once the four Mistresses made themselves known and the veiled man could not help but chuckle under his breath, or laugh outright when the four made their escape. But once Anko caught the blond maverick the unknown figure ceased all movement and all thought, the next part of the play was one of the most important and crucial of the entire performance so he was not to miss it with thoughts of drivel. And indeed it was as much a turning point as he thought and foresaw that it was and would be. The way that this mere child just turned adult used the three other Fists to fend off the four fearsome Kunoichi as well as his own skill to make his escape while also confusing his enemies was nearly poetic it was so beautiful.

Now came the hard part as the first mission of the "Fox Corp.": protecting their charge from the fiery wrath of four of the most feared and powerful women still in Konohagakure. But first the squad of four black masked men had to _find_ their charge.

"Black-Fox to Pack, any signs of the Kit?" spoke the figure as he pressed his gloved finger to his ear, activating the transmitter and sending his crisp voice to his three other squad members.

Silence filtered into his earpiece for several seconds as the Black-Fox waited for his comrades to answer. Suddenly, a near painful burst of static burst forth and words soon formed, "Blue-Fox here, I can't find him anywhere."

Another eruption of static, "White-Fox, nothing in the east--- Wait! I think I just sighted him…or at least one of them…I'm not sure if it's the original."

"Yellow-Fox, also spotted on group of 'Team Blond' and---dear God Hana just tore through their formation! She's tearing them apart! Oh the humanity! Why, why," horrible throaty weeping filled the ear pieces of all of the Fox Corp but none took the time to sympathize as this was a normal occurrence coming from Yellow-Fox.

"Blue-Fox, just found my own Team…and it seems that Yugao has just pounced on them…" Silence as unknown events unraveled before the eyes of Blue-Fox and no one else could know until he spoke. "Blue-Fox, Yugao has just dispatched all in the Team…seems that this Team held the real swordsman. Repeat, Yugao has dispatched one of the Teams and is now battling the swordsman."

"Black-Fox, keep close eyes on them-" just then a Team Blond bounded across a near by tree and landed in the center of a, conveniently, deserted park. "Just spotted another Team Blond. So far there seems to be no—" a war cry pierced the air and a blur of tan colored clothing crashed headlong into the Team, knocking them apart like the were pins of a Bowling Alley.

Before Black could focus on the interaction between the crazed Anko and the Team Blond just under his position static again erupted in his ear, "White, Kurenai has just pounced. Captured each member of Team Blond in some type of Illusion, and now she is systematically dispatching the Doppelgangers." A loud deafening 'boom' resounded through the earpieces. "…Whoa… seems the one that can change matter is over here…"

"Yellow," sniffles sounded in the hearing device, "Hana has destroyed all the Doppelgangers revealing the real broom-haired man…I hope he makes it…" more sniffling resounded in the microphone.

Black nodded his head and gazed back at Anko as she continued to torment the Team Blond that was before him. By product of elimination, the original Naruto stood before him and was fending off a crazed Anko… which he was failing miserably at. Hopefully the teen could pull off another miraculous escape like he had nearly an hour ago, but by the looks of how Anko was dispatching his Doppelgangers around him, it seemed that that miracle was a one-time thing and was not to be repeated.

But it seemed that miracles happened more than once in battle. Naruto tore himself from Anko's grasp once again and gather a staggering amount of Chakra within his body, an amount that caused Black to cease of mental function and gape in awe at the shear amount that was accumulating. Anko was taken aback, judging by her small but noticeable step backwards, by the amount of Chakra being gathered. Naruto jumped back as well and snapped his arms in front of his chest like he had done before and Black could not help but smirk much like the man before him when the blond man spoke.

"So you want to be rough? Well then… two can play at this game." A smirk so devious split his face as he concluded his speech, "or…should I say one and an _army_ can play at this game. Be a dear and help pave my road for me by loosing to me…"

Little did Naruto that each of his 'brothers' spoke words much like his own, and little did he know that the battles that were about to commence were to be fierce and daunting.

XxXxX Night Fall XxXxX

"Whoa baby!" roared out Anko from her position on the three-seater couch clad once again in the most minimum of clothing, "now that was the most fun I've had in a long time!" she took no notice of Kurenai's playful eyes as she watched Anko drink her small bottle of sake in her hand, Hana choosing to indulge in herbal tea and Yugao with nothing but her strange novels this one titled 'Drinking is not the only use Pop cans have, there's Four hundred more!'

"I mean the kid lasted for a good, what, seven minutes before I took pity on him and crushed him!" she leaned forward and struck each of the girls with a poignant stare, "The kid is a literal 'One Man Army'," her voice was awed as she spoke, "I mean, we knew he could make a few, more than any of us could hope to make, but he made over a _hundred_…at _one time_!" she flopped back onto the large couch, sighing in a blissful tone as she took another dredge on her bottle. "That kid sure is something…"

Kurenai leaned back in a dining room chair that she had dragged in from the dining room so that she could sit by the sliding glass door. She had decided to stay in her outfit instead of changing back into her recreational wear like the three other girls in the room, stating that she did not want to be caught underdressed if Naruto decided he needed more assistance of some kind. "Too bad you took pity on the poor child and sent him to bed early…" a sigh escaped her lips as she gauged Anko's reaction, wondering if the woman before her would fall for her bait and be gobbled up by the accusations that would follow if she did.

"Yeah well," the smallest of blushes touched her cheeks as she turned her head in the opposite direction, "He's got a big day tomorrow, doesn't he? The Genin Exam, with the 'Scarecrow' no less? He needs as much sleep as he can get…"

To some extent she had taken the bait, Kurenai mused as she leaned further back in her chair, propping it up on two of its legs, the back legs to be exact. Now it was time to see if she could rile her up like she always did to her. "To think that the great Mitarashi Anko, Snake Mistress of Konohagakure and all around crazy wench, would fall for the whiles of a boy just out of the Ninja Academy…I never knew you were one to 'rock the cradle' as it were?"

Anko grew quiet at the remark, her hand still firm around the bottle of alcohol. Hana spewed out tea that she held within her lips, choking profusely, and Yugao glanced from her book for a brief moment before returning, but if someone were to watch her eyes they would have noticed that they did not move across the page. Kurenai waited patiently for her friends remark, still propped on two legs of her chair. "Well…he is an adult now…so…" she was now gazing at Kurenai with a look mixed with weariness and cleverness. "Give him a few years, Hell a few months maybe…"

Kurenai rocked forward in her chair; stamping its front two legs down on the ground harshly and bringing the two other girls gaze to her own. She had not perceived this type of reply or underlining goal and was startled as well as angered; angered for what reason she did not know. "He's a child! Don't you dare think-"

"He's six years my junior, eight your own, and four to Hana and Yugao…Age don't mean much in the profession of Shinobi." Anko's locked eyes with Kurenai's. Seconds ticked by and soon Anko rose from her seat on the large couch, placing her sake bottle firmly on the good sized coffee table, and headed towards the door of the apartment, ignoring Kurenai as she glared at the Snake Mistress's back.

"Anko! I will not allow you to do-" again Kurenai was interrupted by the woman leaving her apartment.

"Kurenai… he's old enough to kill, terrorize, seduce, infiltrate, steal, drink, smoke, gamble and do most things that parents and civilians would never dream of doing…he's fair game…for _all_ of us once the his heritage is known."

Kurenai spat and sputtered, as Anko grew closer to the door. Sure the teen had some potential of being a worthy boyfriend but he was still several years younger than anyone of them in the room. Hana continued to drink her tea as she watched Anko and Kurenai 'duke it out'. It was an unspoken rule that Anko and Kurenai were the 'leaders' of their little 'gang', so to get between the two could be detrimental to ones health…oh well…

"I think the kids cute… He's in my little bother's class, so all I heard about him was that he was the Retard of the class, never succeeded at anything, and that he couldn't 'Ninja his way out of a paper bag'." Hana said casually as she took another sip of her tea, drawing both Anko's and Kurenai's to her. "The one I fought against, Vash, was challenging but I wish I could have gone against Naruto-kun like you did Anko…"

"And I think that with the proper training he could become truly great… a diamond in the rough if you will." Yugao stated from her curled up position on her reading chair bring all eyes to her form. "You can see how his past 'teachers' have destroyed his education but he was somehow able to establish his own training and was able to each this level…"

Kurenai bolted upright, knocking her chair over in the process, "Are you all insane! You've known him for only six hours, and your already planning to engage in this boy! A _boy_! He's only fourteen!"

"And he's a Shinobi. And he's the Kyubi's container. And he's the Yondaime's son. The list goes on and on…" Anko drawled as she turned to face Kurenai and leaned her body against the wall. "Why are you so defensive towards this…hmm?"

A hot blush, a blush whose origins were unknown, bloomed across Kurenai's face. Anko noticed this but said nothing on the matter; instead she pushed herself off the wall and headed towards the apartments front door. "It's late. I think we all should take little Fox-kun's example and turn in for the night."

Hana looked from Anko to Kurenai, the room simmering under their intense gazes. Slowly she placed her cup on the woodened coffee table in the center of the room and excused herself, slipping past Anko and out the door, Yugao hot on her tail. Once the door shut with a soft click Anko took one last glance at the fuming and distraught Kurenai. Sighing, Anko turned and headed out the door just like the two others before her, leaving Kurenai to her own troubled and muddled thoughts.

XxXxX Naruto's Dreamscape XxXxX

The moment that that Anko woman had thrown him on his mattress, Naruto been rendered unconscious in the land of sleep and dreams. She had pressed him to his fighting limits and to the limits of his ingenuity, yet she still beat the stuffing out of him in the end. It was strange, he reminisced as he slipped into his mind, even though he was not present at the other bouts he knew what happened at them all the same; it was like the information had transferred into his mind by some type of outside force, but what kind of force.

More mysteries to unravel, but for now sleep was more important to the young blond.

He felt a cold floor come to meet his bare feet and took a brief moment to realize that there was no water sloshing around his ankles and shins. He opened his eyes tiredly to find himself before the cage of his Mate, a term that he had a great deal of getting used to, its bar glistening a dull bronze in the little light that shown in the dreamscape of his mind. Taking a deep hissing breath not knowing what to expect in the coming moments, Naruto stepped towards the mighty gates, squeezing between their bars and onto the depths of the prison.

It was dark, darker then he remembered it being, he could barely see more than five feet in front of himself at any one time in any one direction. Last time the darkness was not this all consuming…but last time he had Yoko within arms reach, he smiled to himself at how much her mere presence did to him. He soon found her as he continued his trek through the black prison curled up on the floor fast asleep. One hand was beneath her head to insure comfort and the other had gripped the fabric of her blood red sports shirt just over her heart, a gesture he found cute and adorable. But one thing that bothered the young man was that she was sleeping on the floor of all places, she deserved to sleep on a bed at the very least.

At that moment an idea struck him as he gazed down at Yoko's sleeping form. Smiling at his own cleverness Naruto stepped back unto he was a safe distance away before he began to initiate his master plan. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate, concentrate more than he ever had before, on the one object that was needed. He figured that since this was his own mind that he could do whatever was needed in it or do what ever he wanted in it. He remembered Yoko mentioning something around those same lines, but now was time to see if it was true…by giving back to the woman that had showed him love and kindness. The object became unmistakably clear, clear as crystal within his own mind, and his focus doubled then redoubled then redoubled after that. The earth of the cage shook with the force of a thousand marching boots, with the intensity of the strongest quake, yet the sleeping Angel before him had yet to wake; good, if she were to wake the surprise would be ruined.

Suddenly four thorns erupted from the steel floor of the cage at equal intervals from Yoko's body, 'trapping' Yoko within its perimeter, which form a perfect square. The earth shattered again and the four thorns burst forth from its hold rising higher and higher around the sleeping beauty. Once the thorns had reach the appropriate height the ground directly around and underneath the Angel spider-webbed and shattered like some kind of fragile glass, but Yoko did nothing but sleep on. The reason for this was the feather soft mattress that supported the weight of immortal woman, bringing the formation of a four-poster bed to near completion. Just underneath the red-haired woman a crimson pool began to extend from just beneath her as if she had been wounded and her blood was soaked into the snow white mattress, seeping across the bed until all was bathed in its blood like color. As the sheets finished forming on the entirety of the bed they began to creep up and secure the form of the woman, keeping her warm and coaxing a content sigh from her lips.

Smiling at his creation, the first of many, and smirking that the first test of his mental capabilities was a success, Naruto approached the newly erected bed and Angel. She had gently unraveled her body slightly so she now lay sprawled out on a good portion of the bed, purring softly into the crimson silk of the pillows and sheets; something that Naruto found down right cute and adorable, though he would not say it out loud unless asked. He rounded the bed until he was as close to Yoko as he could get and seated himself on the edge of the bed, gazing sweetly at the snoozing woman. A lock of hair, which had been taken out of its standard twin ponytails, slipped across her face and she wrinkled her nose as it tickled her as well as 'mewl'ed pathetically at the intrusion in her sleep. Smiling at the display, Naruto swept his hand gently across her features and pushed the lock of hair behind her right ear, taking his time to brush his hand against her silky flesh and heavenly cheek.

Her right eye crack open just enough so she could look upon the smiling face of her Mate as he continued to subconsciously stroke her cheek. Smiling herself, she raised her hand until she cupped his hand in hers bring his focus back to the world around him. Her crimson eyes swam within his and she burrowed deeper into her new bed as he smiled lovingly at her without even knowing. She still held onto his hand and she gently gave it a tug signaling the blond to lie on the bed as well. Naruto received the message as she scooted over in the bed to allow him some room but looked away, blushing a bright shade of red. His thoughts were clouded with the implications of him and a beautiful woman, who was his Mate and wife, sharing the same bed, impure thoughts.

As she still held his hand she frowned at his behavior and at his back. Groggily she pushed herself up and onto her knees all the while brushing the sand from her left eye. She moved across the bed on the knees, taking slow steady strides so as to not fall over and back to sleep, until she was flush with his back. By this time she had let go of the hand but to compensate for that she had draped herself over his shoulders, placing her open palms on his chest one over each breast. She pressed her cheek against his, ignoring the hot blush that intensified and flourished across his face, and gently nuzzled his exposed cheek.

"What's the matter?" Yoko asked, breaking the silence with a sleep slur.

Naruto blushed hotly once again, still not used to the sudden acts of physical displays of affection. "It's just…well…" his speech was staggered and his voice small, "um…I'm not ready for that…"

Yoko quirked an eyebrow at the answer, "Ready? Ready for what?"

"…sex…"

Yoko blink groggily several times before she giggled softly into his exposed ear. She held him tighter then ever as she gently began to lean back onto the bed, taking him with her until she lay on her back with Naruto lying across her chest, blushing all the while. She gently began to pet his hair, electing a soft purr from his closed lips, and began to rock him in her arms as best she could from her position.

"Oh, my little Naru-kun…you needn't worry about that… Now sleep, you have a big day tomorrow and you need all of you rest…"

Naruto lay there for several seconds against the left breast of his Mate as he processed what she had just said; her heart beat lulling him to sleep. So he needn't worry about such thoughts at this moment in time, he sighed into her breast and snuggled closer. Good, he did not need such things clouding his mind whenever he thought of his inner Angel. Her stroking of his hair ceased much to his displeasure, but she wrapped her arms securely around him and held him close, using her warmth to sooth his nerves and to lull him to sleep.

XxXxX End XxXxX

Moo

So what do my dear readers think of the third installment of my creation? Good? Bad? Ugly?

I thought that I would allow you to see who helps me out on writing so here are my two Editors with some words of their own (make sure to check out their stories);

Warper's Notes: Hello to all readers. I am the beta for this great writer here and I hope to be so for a good long time. I could say more but anything further requires permission of the actual writer of this fic. Well anyways that's it for now. Hope to have some more notes in next chapter.

AnimeAwesome's Message: Hello fanfictioneers, and sorry for not giving you a message like this in any of EvilSheepLord's prior chapters! I am a friend of our dear race-confused sheep here, and help him as much as I can with little style changes and sticky plot points, as well as annoying hard-to-catch word mess-ups and grammar problems, since I am OCD when it comes to those and catch things, and he returns the favor for my story. Just wanted to let you all know I am here too, even if I don't leave any more notes like this. (Although I just might later on)

Both of these individuals are good friends of mine I have to thank them for dealing with me. Again thanks for reading my latest chapter, please review about anything you want and I will try to reply as best I can

TTFN

Evilsheeplordthatsaysmoo


	4. Fourth Fist: First Finger

Moo

AN:

Hello my lovers, my haters, my sisters, my brothers, my friends, and my enemies.

Most of you have probably been wondering what had happened to this particular story. Well the answer is that I have been working on if for the better part of a year. The result? 111 pages written for one chapter. The original intention for this chapter was to show one day of Naruto's new life and to show his humanity and his struggles, all the while mixing in some fun and a little bit of romance. Now because of this size, my editors have advised me to break it up into many different parts. This is part one of an unknown number.

I honestly wish I could say more in this AN but I honestly cannot think of anything else really. Well, one thing: this sub-chapter contains an exert from Icha Icha. So I tried my hand at a limey lemon. Tell me what you think of my work.

Disclaimer: Besides the 63 some-odd lambs that have been birthed in the past two weeks, I own nothing else.

XxXxX Fourth Fist: First Finger XxXxX

"Another bowl, please!" came the cry of a boisterous blonde as he licked the remainder of his now empty ramen bowl, clean of broth and leftover noodles.

Naruto didn't mind that no one was in the shop at that time, or that the ramen always mystically appeared before him. All that mattered to him was the ramen that appeared, and its need to be eaten. Even though he couldn't hear any noise but him devouring the helpless noodles he did not care. He could not hear the wind in the trees or the people that meandered in the streets; not even his favorite cook and waitress as they bickered back and forth. It seemed as if he was the only one in the entire world, the last in this hellhole called Earth.

It didn't bother him though, as he started eating his seventeenth bowl of God's gift to mortals. After what had happened the past couple of days with Iruka's death, Ayame's slight show of affection, Hinata's worry, team selection, and meeting those four temptress from yesterday, a little bit of 'Me time' was well needed and appreciated. In addition, there was the chaos and disorder, and the words and actions that his Demon turned Angel brought him.

However, that was a thought for another time, a time when ramen was not in front of his empty stomach and his watering lips. All that he needed to do now was enjoy his delicious ramen and bask in the silence of the moment. Enjoying it was something he planned on doing.

In truth, he feared that if he even attempted to process the information on those events from the day prior, he would either ruin his appetite or cause his brain to short circuit. It was just that so much stuff happened yesterday, stuff that was so foreign and alien to the blonde.

A date preposition with a woman that he had, at one point in time, saw as his older sister? How does one, who has never known how to express an emotion such as love or anything greater, dare to hope in successfully completing a date?

A caring woman such as Hinata was worrying over his mental well-being? How was he to process such an act, when he had never witnessed nor felt such an action towards himself?

The four temptresses that crept into his like for no known rhyme or reason, and began to treat him as if they had known him for years on end? The title alone was enough to relay all the uncertainties and lack of knowledge that the blonde had about them.

There was then a shift; a change in the air and his plane of existence. Naruto quickly snapped his head to the left, stray noodles that lay clasped between his lips slapping him in the face harshly. He was supposed to be the only being here! Who would dare rain on his parade? The moment his sparkling blue eyes found the stool next to him, his alarm evaporated and a happiness he did not know washed over his soul like a calm tide. The reason for this calmness was because that in the seat next to him was Iruka, who was daintily slurping a chopstick full of noodles into his mouth, eyes shut in euphoria and a delightful smile gracing his lips.

He wore his standard Chunin wear: forest-green vest, with a deep navy blue full-sleeved shirt and pants. His hair was as he remembered it, poised in its pineapple-like ponytail. His onyx eyes snapped open as he felt the presence of eyes scanning him, and Iruka tilted slightly towards the dumbstruck blonde. With a quick _slurrrp_,the noodles disappeared into his mouth and a wolfish smirk soon appeared on the face of his beloved teacher.

"What, do I have something on my face?" Iruka asked in a playful tone before examining his face in the metal plating of a nearby napkin holder.

_This has to be a dream_… that was the only thought that ran through the blonde's head as he continued to gaze at the scarred man, as said man continued to search for the allusive fragment of food that took refuge on his face. However, if it truly was a dream…Naruto wished that it would never end. He gently turned back to his own magical source of ramen and continued to massacre it to the best of his ability.

Iruka looked at Naruto with something in his dark eyes that resembled family love and turned back to his own ramen, letting a silence ensue between the two of them; a comfortable, secure silence. All thoughts that plagued Naruto's mind seconds earlier disintegrated into dust just with the knowledge that Iruka was back in the realm of the living It felt that all was truly right in the world, and the young blonde swore to himself that if there were one way to keep this sense of comfort and fantasy alive forever, he would give up _anything_ in order to keep it, or so he thought.

"Naruto, can I ask you a question?" Iruka's voice brought Naruto out of his wishful thinking as he turned to his surrogate older brother. Iruka's face still had the look of comfort and brotherly love before gently placing his chopsticks on the rim of his finished bowl and stared at Naruto continued to devour his ramen.

With a vigorous nod of Naruto's blonde mop of hair, Iruka sighed and turned to face his younger brother. Iruka continued to gaze into this face of his brother and before long, an unease that the blonde did not quite understand began to graze Naruto's small shoulders. Iruka's eyes, even as Naruto continued to gaze into them, seemed to be loosing their happy light. It actually seemed that his onyx eyes were slowly starting to take on a grayish hue. _Why were they doing that?_ Naruto thought to himself before Iruka opened his mouth.

"Why didn't you save me?"

Naruto faltered. What did Iruka just ask? "Why didn't you save me?" No, that couldn't be right…could it?

Sputtering and laughing, Naruto tried desperately to deflect the absurd question. "What do you mean?" he laughed nervously as he tried avoiding those two ghostly _gray_ eyes and returned to his ramen. "You're fine. There's no need to be saved," The nervous laughter redoubled in force, "you're alive right now, so what is all this about 'being saved.'"

A stone cold hand gripped Naruto's shoulder with such intensity that Naruto feared that the bones composing his shoulder would shatter. Iruka spun Naruto around, coming face to face with the ashen-white face of Iruka. Naruto glanced away from those two gray, _dead,_ eyes only to see that the hand grasping his shoulder like a vice was thin and ghostly white. The skin was like a serpent's hide, slick and glossed, and the bones hidden beneath the dead man's skin protruded out. His fingers reminded the terrified blonde of a spider he once killed during one of his first nights at his original apartment. Little did the blonde know, that the spider he killed, with bone-white hair and long tubular legs, was in fact one of the most feared and dangerous spiders in all of the Elemental countries, used by Shinobi's for specialized assassinations and quick incurable poisons.

"Why didn't you save me?" Iruka's voice rasped out, his yellowing teeth starting to show. Before the terrified boy's eyes, scars began to dig themselves into the once pleasant face of Iruka. Swirls and lines cut their way across Iruka's ashen face, identical to the scars given by that damnable cat man Mizuki. Flakes of flesh and skin peeled off with globs of clotted blood beginning to creep down his face as well as splatter onto the floor below. "Why didn't you save me?!" the crazed man repeated in his rasped tone.

With surprising ease, Iruka's spider-like hands gripped Naruto's neck like a vice. The bones popped and cracked each time the dead man added more pressure to his hold. The scarred man roared in animalistic rage, and before Naruto could understanding what was happening, he found himself pinned to the counter of Ichiraku's Ramen Bar, Iruka's crazed gray eyes burrowing holes into his skull. Extra chopsticks, napkin dispensers, and sauce containers all toppled to the ground as Iruka slammed Naruto's skull against the counter top, causing the wood and steel of the counter to start cracking with each assault.

"Why didn't you save me?!" roared the man in between slamming Naruto's skull against the counter top. As Naruto began to spit blood and spittle, Iruka continued. "You have all that power in that _watch_ of yours and you couldn't even save me! You let me die! My blood is on your hands!" as if to prove his point, blood from his scarred and torn face dropped onto the blonde's face in clumps and globs.

Naruto looked up, horrified at Iruka. No, this wasn't Iruka. Iruka never said these types of cruel words, nor did he act like this. He didn't, right? No, no it couldn't be.

Suddenly the pressure doubled on his bruised neck, cutting off even more airflow to the blonde's already dwindling mind. Iruka continued to roar at Naruto as Naruto slowly began to slip from consciousness and undoubtedly slip into death. That ashen face, those mist-like eyes of the dead, the blood, even as Naruto began to die by the hands of his already dead brother, he knew that he would forever remember and be haunted by those features.

Tears pooled in the corners of Naruto's deep ocean blue eyes as he slipped away; if only there was a way for Iruka to forgive him, then maybe all this madness would cease. If only Iruka would love him again…and not despise him like he did now. As if the dead man could read the thoughts of Naruto's failing mind, the pressure on his neck lessened, and Naruto could soon breathe with ease. Hopeful blue eyes gazed into compassionate onyx for the first time in what felt like forever and Naruto marveled at the kindness that floated within their depths.

"Please…" Naruto choked out, "…forgive me…"

Iruka couldn't help but coo at his younger brother before his hands were caressing his sibling's neck. Iruka's compassionate voice sounded softly into Naruto's thrumming ears, "I forgive you…my dear Naruto-kun…"

Naruto's eyes welled with tears of joy and cheer. His brother was going to forgive his sins and embrace him lovingly. However, just as Naruto reveled in the bliss of acceptance and forgiveness, Iruka's smile gently slipped from his face and his spider-like talons grasped onto Naruto's defenseless neck once again. The glassy glare of Iruka's eyes tore into the helpless eyes of Naruto, and the next couple of words nearly crushed Naruto's soul.

"I'll forgive you… if you die with me, you demon bastard!"

The grip on Naruto's neck grew to a bone-breaking intensity. The yellow teeth of the once proud Iruka flung spittle and decay into the face of Naruto, and the lights of the world began to dim. This was the end, death was nigh as sorrow and fear plagued Naruto's mind and soul. Why was he sad? He clearly had nothing to live for, nothing to strive for. Yes, there was the title of Hokage, but the title held no weight if those that were meant to be protected were not there to protect. Then there truly was no one for him…no one at all to share in his success.

Iruka was speaking understandable words again rather than mindless and animalistic growls and roars. "Answer me, you monster! Answer me when I'm talking to you!"

How could the choking boy suppose to-

"…fox got your tongue…boy?" drawled a lazy voice.

The lights blacked out, or at least to Naruto, it seemed that the lights were doused. In reality, it was the form of a man that was leaning over Iruka's quivering shoulders; nothing of the man was viewable, not the style of his dress, nor the color of his hair, nor the make of his body were visible to Naruto. The only thing that he could see was that one _damnable_ eye…that one onyx-colored eye as it crinkled upwards in sign of an unseen smile.

"…fox got your tongue…boy?"

XxXxX Within Naruto's bedroom; Time unknown XxXxX

A scream akin to the sound of a soul's ultimate suffering shattered the night's calm and placid air. Clouds parted just enough to reveal the waning moon, still smiling like a face smirking on the world where a boy's mind was on the verge of destroying itself in fear and woe. Its eerie pale light illuminated the village, filtering into windows and doors. The scream pierced the air again, causing the curtain of one specific window to flutter and sway, allowing the light to slither between their parted arms.

There, whimpering in his bed, sat one Uzumaki Naruto, legs drawn close to his chest, while his hands gripped his skull with fierce resolve. His fingers dented flesh as his ragged breath brought forth another scream. The images replayed themselves repeatedly within his weak soul. He continued to hear those words; those horrible, violent, ghastly words that should never be spoke nor uttered to anyone; no matter the race, ethnicity, or gender. His eyes crammed themselves shut, as another painful scream tore his body. To him, as he lay curled on his bed, all hurt: his throat, his mind, his heart, and his very soul hurt.

Another wave of horrors paraded in his mind like a sick, demented circus. The several images of his past woes and worries, tormentors, and that horrid dream and its ghouls; why couldn't he escape his past or these terrors? Why must he suffer like this? Why, oh dear God, why?

He felt so alone, and he spoke it to the world. He whimpered out his sadness and screamed out his sorrowful anger to that smirking moon. To him, he was in a never-ending nightmare that he could not escape, as the words of his horrible dream made his ears bleed and the sights of said dream made his brain ache. It was so dark out and so lonely in the Queen-sized bed that was nestled against the wall of his bedroom.

A sudden flash of that dead monster's pale face and decaying teeth caused the blonde to slam his cranium against his drawn up knees while stifling a woeful sob. He clenched his eyes shut painfully again, but the image of those ghostly gray eyes and those yellow gnashing teeth remained. All he wanted was for them, the images and the sounds of those _things_, to stop. Just stop. Just stop!

"Stop it!" screamed Naruto into the calm night air. He clawed at the air like some wild beast, desperately trying to wage war with the dastardly visions of his mind. "Stop! Stop! Just go away! Go away…please," but the images continued their assault on the young boy's mind. They bombarded him and harassed him until he was nothing more than a whimpering and weeping blob of flesh, curled up on its side.

It continued for a time that Naruto could not measure. All that existed were the images of the dead man, the words of his accusation, and the thoughts of his blood coating his hands. Slowly, oh so slowly, the images started to fade behind an unmarked door of his mind, but the effects were done, leaving Naruto lying there on his side, whimpering incoherent words under his ragged breath. Even that soon subsided into weary thoughts and steady breathing; that is until he chanced a glance out his window and lay eyes on the waning moon.

A moon shaped so much like the eye of that one man…

XxXxX outside Naruto's apartment; Time Unknown XxXxX

She stood before the door in the same purple panties and matching bra. It was a plain door, just like any other on her floor. Well, except for the sounds of terrified screaming coming from the other side of it; that was a slight problem.

She sighed gently and placed her free hand against the cold surface of the wooden door, as if reaching out to the man who was producing the screams. In her other hand, clutched securely to her breast, was a long and shimmering stuffed purple snake with a neon-green underbelly, which her other hand was petting absent-mindedly. She sighed once again as another scream resounded behind the door, shaking its hard surface and sending shivers down her spine.

It seemed that _it_ had started the nightmares of your first kill as well as the memories of your first lost loved one. It was only a matter of time before either two things happened: he either cracked under the pressure of losing said loved one, or overcame and became a stronger person because of it. The only problem in this case was the fact that Naruto achieved both aspects of the Shinobi life in one night. She cringed at the thought of the terrible combination; she was lucky to have her first kill be a whole year before the lost of her first loved one.

Silence ensued behind the door but the silence did not bode well for the young woman as she nuzzled her face against the soft fabric of her stuffed and worn snake; all the while, her eyes never left the surface of the door, nor did her hand. The silence was like the eye of a hurricane, or a large cat hidden amongst the weeds, ready to strike and destroy all in its path when the time came. It was just that, for some reason, she wished for the young man to pull through this, to overcome and to gain strength.

Seconds ticked by with no noise and Anko continued to think about the man behind the door. He was young and innocent (to an extent), yet at the same time, he lived a life that others would run from, and had been treated to an extent that would bring lesser men to their own deaths. He was much like herself, she reminisced as she hugged her snake. He was unfortunate, just like Anko, to have something go against his will, and as such, became a martyr because of it. Yet, somehow he persevered and walked proudly, and-

A scream ten times greater then the one before shook not only the door, but also the entire floor of the apartment complex. She staggered back, frightened and alert. Cautiously, Anko edged towards the door slowly, and wondered idly why no one else had come to check on the young blonde. She knew that the other girls could hear and feel the sorrow permeating from behind the door, but why did they lay curled up in their beds? Why did they not wish to see if the young man was to prevail against the horrors of his mind?

A thought occurred to Anko. She was no better then those girls lying in their beds, listening to the screams of the tortured soul. The only difference was that she was standing before his door, but she wasn't entering in order to comfort him. However, she could not bring herself to open the door and scurry to the adolescent's side to comfort him. The reason was because that some battles, as hideous and as evil as they were, had to be battled by the person himself, and not by an ally, and no matter how badly an opposing force it was, Anko wished she could personally intervene…

The screams redoubled in an instant, causing the worrying and fretting woman to grasp the doorknob instinctively. The spare hand dropped the stuffed animal and tore through the air, thus stopping her from subconsciously tearing down the door of Naruto's apartment off its hinges. This was not her battle nor was it her war. Though part of her wished that, on a day that would come with the passing tide, this battle would become part of her war. Now was not the time, though.

Sighing, she released the damaged doorknob and took a step away from the door, taking deep, cleansing breaths as she went. Anko stooped down, captured her prized toy, and clutched it once again to her breast as the screams quieted down to pathetic whimpers and sobs. Maybe it was time that the boy met the dreadfulness of the world. Maybe it was time that he embraced the life style that he chose. However, maybe he wasn't ready for this reality. Maybe it was easier for him to keep holding onto the dream that most Genin were led to believe instead of the truth.

However, what little of the dream that was left shielding his vision of this Hellish life was going to be brushed aside starting in the morning, she grasped with a small start. If she was not mistaken, his new sensei was the infamous Hatake Kakashi. Whenever she thought of that man, she wanted to spit in his face, or lack thereof. She had extreme respect for him as a Shinobi and had a grudging admiration for him as a comrade, but when it came to Hatake Kakashi as a person, she had the utmost loathing for him. It was just that the hindsight of his upbringing, heritage, tutelage, experience, and other such details that made Hatake Kakashi a very egotistical man and an over-all prick. If this man, a term she used quite lightly, was this boy's sensei, an uncomfortable chill ran up and down her spine.

Hmm, a thought came within her mind quickly. Even though the time for her to enter into his battles was not quite at its dawn, maybe sending in a spy to scout out and to advise the soon-to-be ally was in order. A smile wrenched its way onto her delicate lips, revealing long canines and sparkling teeth. The smirk remained even when she wrapped her stuffed snake around her slim neck like a feathered boa and brought her slim thumb up to her plump and delicious lips in order to prick it with her sharp canine. She gazed at the crimson liquid as it coursed its way down her thumb, palm and wrist for only a brief instance, before her hand and fingers twitched.

A plume of smoke enveloped from her hand for an instance before dissipating to expose a small amount of coils of purple and black-scaled flesh. The coils were similar to the size of a loop of electrical wire with the thickness of a highlighter pen. Suddenly, it began to unravel itself within her outstretched palm, revealing its true length to be that of a foot-and-a-half easily as it draped itself across her palm and corkscrewed its excess length around her arm to ensure that the creature did not fall to the ground. What appeared to be the head of the lithe creature rose to become parallel to Anko's face. Two emerald orbs snapped open to gaze into the chocolate eyes of Mitarashi Anko, and the serpentine head gave a subtle and affirmative nod to its summoner.

Grinning, Anko nodded towards the newly summoned snake. This one being was the only thing that Anko would willingly thank her former sensei for giving her. If her former Sensei did not allow her to sign the Snake Summoning Contract, then she would have never met one of her closest friends and allies. This small snake was more of a familiar then an actual summon; Anko tended to summon the small and friendly creature in events of severe danger, boredom, and loneliness. This snake was, by far, one of the only 'people' that Anko could trust in this type of situation. Kurenai had a new Genin team starting tomorrow, Yugao was on ANBU duty as usual, and Hana was working at her Veterinarian Clinic as she always did. Therefore, it was up to either Anko, who knew if she started to hang around the blonde that people, including the Hokage, her close friends, and Hatake, would become suspicious, but her newly summoned 'spy' could look after the emotional quivering and distraught young man with no one the wiser.

"I want you to look after someone for a while, babe," Anko whispered to the snake summon while using her little nickname for her friend to help persuade the snake to do as asked, even this late of night.

The emerald orbs gazed into the chocolate eyes before gazing at the door of Uzumaki Naruto, then back to Anko with a quirk of a nonexistent eyebrow at the request, as if asking, 'You woke me up for this? Why?'

"Please," Anko whispered to her scaled friend, almost to the point of begging her familiar to help.

The snake's questioning look continued for several more painful seconds to Anko, until she finally sighed and unwrapped herself from Anko's hand and wrist, landing with a soft _thump_ onto the floor. With silent _swishes_, the small and dark-colored snake slithered towards the wooden door and waited until Anko opened it for her to enter, and enter she did. Once Anko opened the door for her companion, the aforementioned snake snuck in with no more sound than a wisp of smoke.

With a grateful smile, Anko moved to close the door to Naruto's apartment, but before she could secure it, she felt a slight tug on her impromptu boa. Looking down, she saw the dark eyes of a canine companion sitting on its gray-furred haunches and as the waist high dog gazed into her eyes, then at the door and back into her eyes. She looked from the dog to look towards her right in the direction of Hana's apartment. Said woman was standing groggily at her doorway, also in the same attire as Anko, but with a faded pink blanket grasped in her hands instead of the snake plushie.

However, as soon as Anko saw her sleepy figure, Hana moved back into her apartment, but not before sending a meaningful smile and small wink in Anko's direction. Knowing what Hana wanted her to do, Anko opened the door to Naruto's apartment once again, but this time she admitted a four-legged guardian instead of a slithering one.

With a soft _click,_ the door to the, now quiet, apartment closed and Anko made her way back to her own apartment. She did not know if their decision was correct, but she did not care. She just knew that in the incoming days, Naruto would need a couple of people/spies to look out for him, as well as inform their masters as to how the day went for the blonde. For Anko doubted that she would, nor could, get a straight answer out of the blonde, even if anything bad happened. It was just that Naruto's personality was one of 'holding the weight of the world on his shoulders,' and she doubted that he would let anyone else carry his weight.

Humming to herself, Anko proceeded back to her bed, but before the throes of sleep captured her, she sent a small, but heartfelt, prayer to God to look out for the small blonde.

Little did she know that prayer was going to be needed.

XxXxX Morning within Naruto's Apartment XxXxX

Light tore at the outside of Naruto's eyelids like an angered feline. _Why did the day have to come so early?_ The blonde ranted internally before bringing his arm up to shield his eyes from the ravages of the cresting sun. He groaned again as a wisp of the morning's breeze shifted the curtains and allowed more sunlight into his room. It felt like he had _just_ gotten to sleep and now the day was calling him to awaken and start his day. The nightmare last night had taken quite a bit out of him, and still had him shaken up. He just kept on repeating to himself that _It was all just a dream. A simple but realistic dream, that's all._ He just wished the sun would hide behind a cloud or something for the next few hours, so he could rest some more without dreams or fantasies.

However, deep down, Naruto already knew that his day was not going to be a good one. Why? Well, that would be because of the horrible aura that surrounded his soon-to-be sensei. Oh well, he dealt with people like in the past and he could deal with them again. He just wished that it were later on in the day when he had to deal with such a person and not at eight a.m.…

With a sigh, Naruto attempted to roll onto his side in hopes of capturing just a few more allusive winks of sleep before he was required to fully awake. The only problem was that an extreme weight was located on the center of his chest. With his eyes still shut, Naruto contemplated what could be weighing him down. His two pillows were still behind his head, and his blanket was underneath him since someone threw him onto his bed the night prior, still clothed. He had no other accessories for his new bed, and he was not planning to purchase any in the near future, so what could be weighing him down?

"Yep," drawled a voice from somewhere near by, "that's morning wood if I've ever seen one…though, I don't know if it's supposed to be that big? What do you think?"

"Bark ba. Grr yip yip."

"Hmmm, maybe you're right Nimaru. Though I never thought it would be that _big._"

"Grr! Ba bark woof grr woof!"

"Really now?"

"Woof woof!"

"Now that is something I didn't know…so how long do you think this thing lasts?"

"Hmm. Bowwow …uh grr---yip."

"That long! Oh my… Well I guess this is what you learn when you: haven't been in the presence of another human other than Anko for long periods of time and are stuck with a male."

"Grr!"

"I'm not saying that all men are sex crazed perverts…just the ones that stuck with, no offence."

"Bowwow…"

Now this was strange. It seemed that two…beings were talking about something called 'morning wood'. Odd, the term was one that Naruto was unfamiliar with and as such, the hidden meaning to the strange choice of words was lost to the blonde. That aside, the true question was _who is in my bedroom?_

Slowly picking his head up as to not alert his two guests that he was awake and functioning, Naruto peered down his lying frame to the purple and black mass that was located on his stomach. The way the mass was shaped reminded Naruto of a cinnamon roll, or similar types of bread products, coiled in on itself. It was surprisingly heavy for the size that it was, and every now and then again, Naruto could have sworn that it moved, as if readjusting itself for a more comfortable place on his body. The thing on his chest almost looked like some type of animal, a reptile maybe, and one of the voices from earlier was definitely a dog's, if he wasn't mistaken.

Naruto then recalled a lecture in class about Animal Summoning Contracts as well as animal partners and allies. There were several different summoning contracts throughout the world, each nation having their own personal set of summons; of course, this was an unspoken rule amongst the Elemental Countries. Now, if his memory was correct, and his was always a crapshoot, the Snake Summoning Contract was one of the personal summoning contracts to Konoha. In addition, dogs were the Inuzuka clan's allies and partners, just like the Kikai insects were for the Aburame clan. Did that mean that Hana was also here as well?

"Um…hello?"

The bantering between the two voices, the one that was speaking as if it were human and the dog, stopped once Naruto made his consciousness known. That was when the small coil of purple and black whatever-it-was shifted until it was facing Naruto. Two piercing and vivid emerald eyes, similar to the woman he had given up on, stared into his own. Several seconds passed by as Naruto stared into their depths. If he were to be honest, what he saw in their midst was what he wished to see within the young Haruno's eyes. That is, eyes lacking in mindless criticism and malice hidden within them. Instead, these two eyes held a look of curiosity and unbiased-ness.

"So you're awake?" asked the voice that mentioned the 'morning wood.' It was then that Naruto realized that the voice had a female's voice, which meant that a woman was in his room at the time, but the voice did not sound like that of Hana's…

"Oi." There was that voice again, but as Naruto looked away from the emerald eyes on his chest and looked around his new bedroom, he could not seem to find the woman that was speaking.

Sighing at this, the snake spoke, "This is your first time dealing with a ssummon before, isn't it?"

Stopping his search, Naruto slowly shifted his eyes down to those of the, now recognized, snake that lay on his stomach. For his reply, Naruto nodded that it was in fact his first time that he dealt with a summon of any sort. He didn't know why he directed his answer towards the snake, because snakes surely couldn't talk, right?

The snake, even as it continued to gaze at him, slowly began to slither up his torso until it was directly in front of his face. It reared its length in order to be at eye level with the human, allowing Naruto to measure in his mind the length of the small snake to be that of a foot and then some.

"So, I take it that you don't know that most summons can talk, right?"

Naruto eyes became the size of common-sized dinner plates. He had seen the jaw of the snake move in time with the female's voice. That could only mean that the voice/snake was correct in saying that summons could talk. Then that would mean…

"AH! Talking snake!!"

Yep, the one and only Uzumaki Naruto responded as only he could. He jumped straight out of bed, thus sending the snake airborne, and accidentally landed on top of the dog sitting there on his haunches, watching the entire event unroll before it. Luckily, the innocent Snake Summon landed on top of some dirty laundry and was unharmed. Unfortunately, for the dog, the weight of the ramen-addicted Uzumaki was more than enough to reduce him to a broken and twitching pile of pain and pathetic whimpering.

Now, since the little creature, that went flying was in fact a snake and not something like a rat or a toad, she easily sunk into the pile of dirtied clothes like a weighted pipe in water. She soon found herself near the bottom of the waste pile wedged between a pair of boxers and a pair of wriggling socks; wriggling due to the fermenting stench and sweat that had, by now, caused the pair of socks to move on their own.

Ugh, and this was why she was glad that she was not human, but a Snake Summon; she didn't have to deal with clothes. Not to say that she didn't change into her human battle form from time to time like any other type of summon, it was just that she was so use to not wearing any clothing whatsoever that she viewed clothing as cumbersome and somewhat annoying. That could be one of the 'banes' of the Snake Summon Clan and their body, they did not wear jackets like those of the Toad clan, nor did they wear backpacks like the Reptile clan because they did not have arms to wear a jacket/backpack. However, she did understand why her main Summoner wore those types of clothes; it made her look rather ravishing and tempting, like a glistening apple just out of reach. Maybe she should change into her human form more often in order to become more accustomed to clothing…but that was a thought for another time, a time when she did not have a task set before her by her Summoner.

Whishing through the clothes until she felt the cold wooden floor underneath her scales, the petite summon made her way through the disturbingly dirty clothes and slithered her way towards the heap of human and dog parts. It seemed that since the boy, Naruto she believed his name to be, fell on top of Nimaru, a dispute of sorts had broken out between the two; one that was now being settled with thrashing, biting, and incoherent words.

'Boy's…' she thought with a shake of her triangular head.

An attempt to gain their attention by clearing her slender throat was futile as the two continued to thrash and assault each other. A second attempt seemed equally futile and time was short, judging by the height of the sun…as well as the time on the alarm clock that lay strewn on the floor. Therefore, she tried a different tactic in order to gain their attention.

"Boys…" she called out in a moderate tone of voice.

Still, the battle between man and beast waged.

"Boys," she called again, this time adding more force to her tone and volume.

Still, the battle between man and beast waged.

"Boys!" she barked out loudly, still trying to get their attention.

Still the battle between man and beast waged.

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SHUT UP!"

Now, that was both loud enough as well as rude enough to stop the tussle between the males. They both stopped instantly in their battle, Naruto's arm clasped between Nimaru's teeth, and Naruto was currently strangling Nimaru's tail. Some would see this as a rather humorous scene and event…but the Snake Summon saw the scene as one of the utmost immaturity. Luckily, the two males did not hear her giggle; that would just go against what she had just thought.

"Now that I have your _attention_," she strained her words as she slithered past Nimaru, said dog bowing his head and lowering his ears in shame. Once she reached Naruto, she scaled up his body by coiling up his bent legs, around his torso, and settled herself around his neck like a tie; only she was currently looking into his eyes as she did this.

"I believe it is time for you to get ready for your day today. If I'm not mistaken, your Genin Exam with one Hatake Kakashi as your sensei, right?" a nod was her response from the startled boy. Then again, who wouldn't be, with a talking snake currently looking into your eyes from only three inches away?

"Good. Now then, I think that it is time for you to get ready since it is quarter after seven…"

Blinking several times, Naruto began to process what she just said. He had 45 minutes to get to training ground seven, a training ground he had never been to before, hence its location was unknown. It took him several minutes to shower, mostly due to his rat-nest of a head of hair, and then after that, he would have to spend the remainder of his time hunting for the unknown training ground. So in other words he-

The snake was fortunate enough to have the bed next to Uzumaki, for if she were anywhere else, she would most likely have injuries as she fell from his neck as he bolted upright in alarm. Luckily, she fell onto the bed and watched as the young Naruto retrieved some similar looking clothes from a box that lay near the door of the bedroom seeing as they were the only clothes he was now comfortable wearing. In a flash, he was gone, most likely to the bathroom to shower and such.

Sighing, the young and small Snake Summon glanced towards the scolded Nimaru. His ears were downcast; his tail was nestled between his legs even in his sitting position, and his chocolate brown eyes mirrored the disgrace and sadness towards his pup-like actions with the human. The small Snake Summon cocked her head to the side as she gazed at the dog. She had cooperated many times with the Haimaru triplets and other such Ninja allies, and she just couldn't help but marvel at how they acted more human-like than animal. They argued with their 'handler' Hana, they argued amongst themselves like human brothers, and they even argued with the other girls: Kurenai, Anko, herself, and Yuugao, when it came to poker… yeah, not very animalistic indeed.

"Oh well," the snake sighed to herself in a hiss-like fashion.

Nimaru was already up, even though he was still ashamed by his actions earlier and watched as Naruto made his way rather quickly towards the small bathroom to begin his morning rituals. It was finally good to be in the presence of another male, someone that could listen to him, eventually. Nimaru and his brothers were always stuck with the girls and Hana at the forefront. Rarely would they spend their time with either Akamaru or Kuromaru, but since Akamaru was still a pup, he tended to act and think rather childishly, and Kuromaru was so old that either all he talked about were things related to his past, earlier battles or how pups these days knew no respect or honor. It was like talking to some type of infant or fossil… but Naruto, on the other hand, was just like his brothers and him, an adolescent. In addition, Naruto was a male and could understand Nimaru and his siblings more so than Hana, who sometimes threw a fit because of how they reacted to her tantrums, or when it was that time of the month for humans.

A sudden weight crashed into Nimaru's spine as he was contemplating the man of the house, thus causing him to fall flat onto his stomach, his legs sprawled out about him like that of a squashed spider. Slowly rotating his head while shaking from the pain, Nimaru found the Snake Summon smiling cheekily at him from her position on the center of his spine.

"Mush me to the closest anti-boredom device! Mush, mush!" she squealed from her spot, bouncing up and down on his spine as much as a snake could.

Nimaru glared venomously at the offending snake, "And why should I, Kitenhime?" To most others on the outside, more on the lines of those who were human and not familiar with animal allies, all they would have heard would be a series of 'barks, yips, and growls.'

She pouted in a strange, snake-like way before replying, her lower lip quivering, "Cause you're my friend…and '_sniff'_ you love me…'_sniff'_…" the way she spoke, and the volume that she used could have melted any man's heart and cause women's souls to swoon.

Nimaru gazed at the whimpering summon for several more seconds, debating on how he should proceed, before he sighed dejectedly. "Fine, whatever…"

Another squeal echoed from Kitenhime as she danced to her small, but important, victory. She bounced, shimmied, and shook on Nimaru's back like some type of drunken dancer, all the while singing incoherent beats to herself. Nimaru, while making his way out of the bedroom and towards the living room, shook his head at Kitenhime's actions and winced in pain each time she bobbed and weaved on his back.

"Goodness, you weigh a lot…" Nimaru whined.

_whap!_

"Ow! What was th-"

_whap!_

"Ow! Come on-"

_whap, whap!_

Nimaru soon found the pain of Kitenhime's tail as she whipped him like a horse, but it was no ordinary tail, for the snakes of the Snake Summoning Contract had the ability to harden their scales to that of the density of iron, as well as transform them into different steel weapons. He was just lucky that she wasn't biting him. Ugh, he remembered when Sanmaru said something sexual and extremely perverted to her and shuddered at the memory of him lying on the floor muttering about beautiful green fairies and winking unicorns as her venom took effect. The mind-numbing hangover-like aftermath that followed the hallucinogenic venom that Kitenhime had administered didn't help matters either. Sanmaru was just lucky that she hadn't decided to give him a numbing toxin or a pain inducing poison into his system… Ugh…

_Whap! Whap! Whap!_

"And that's why you never question a woman's weight…"

… _whap!_

A beaten and battered Nimaru collapsed in a bruised heap before the coffee table of Naruto's living room, the same coffee table laden with graded papers, magazines, books, and other assorted items. Kitenhime smirked to herself impishly as she saw the swirls in his eyes and snickered soon after a twitch took hold of the canine's back leg. Yep, women were the rulers of this world, and all who opposed them were to fall via brutal flirting, nagging, and/or beatings like the one administered prior.

Forming herself into a spring, Kitenhime launched herself onto the coffee table in hopes of finding something to occupy her stemming boredom while the blonde-haired teen finished up in the bathroom. All she found, though, lying on the table was literature that would only cause her boredom to grow and manifest into some type of snarling, teeth-gnashing, retarded beast of strange ideas and even stranger events. There just had to be something on this table to pacify her boredom… nope, nada, zilch, tough lu-

Wait a minute…what's this?

She had to stop herself from singing out in pleasure as she came across a small, orange paperback. Now, where had she seen this particular piece of literature? She knew she saw this book before as she slithered curiously towards it, head tilted slightly to the left. If she was correct, she saw Anko reading it a few summons back… actually, Kitenhime could distinctly remember Anko reading this peculiar orange-colored book before; as well as a red-colored, green-colored, pink-colored, black-colored, purple-colored, blue-colored, gray-colored, and a yellow-colored book for that matter. Now, if Anko were an adamant reader of this book series, than that would mean that it was a rather good series, right?

Peering over the side of the coffee table to see that Nimaru was still currently unconscious from her iron-incased tail, Kitenhime coiled herself before the small book and, using her elegant tail and flipped said book open to its first page. Once there, Kitenhime started reading, hoping that this lone book would stem her boredom.

XxXxX Within Naruto's Mind XxXxX

Yoko was lying on her back, gazing up into the canopy of her new four-poster bed. This simple thought of selflessness was one of the best gifts she ever received, even though it was one of the few gifts she received… ok, it was the only gift she had ever received, but who's counting? However, something was bothering the woman as she gazed up into a window into the outside world; she didn't even react as an image of Naruto's fully nude body filtered through the viewing portal, as her mind was elsewhere.

The previous night, try as she might, and indeed she did try, she was unable to make any form of contact with her mate and love. It was strange; even as he lay curled against her frame while he slept, she was still unable to touch his consciousness or his soul. It frightened her greatly because during the whole event: every image, every sound, word, and scream erupted within her own mind, like some kind of unstoppable horror movie. Usually, she was able to fend these types of night horrors and phantasms off, but last night, it had been impossible for her to ward them off. It boggled her mind, but wounded her much more in seeing, as she could not buffer the horrors from her love's mind. It was not that she saw her love as weak-willed or incapable of fending off the phantasms. It was just that, with nightmares of that magnitude, and a mind still new to the weight of souls that dragged him closer to Hell she knew that he would have a hard time coping with them.

Yet another question arose within her mind as she clutched a wine-colored pillow to her chest, vaguely noticing that it still held the intoxicating scent of her love. Why was she not able to reach out to him and quell his horrors? Why was she unable to shatter the glass nightmare and free her Naru-kun from its clutches?

Deep down, she had an inkling of who was behind her lack of contact. More precise, she had inkling on the _ten_ individuals that were behind her lack of contact, and it did not matter what they said about their reasons; she was going to tear them apart, sow them back together, and then tear them apart again for making her worry like that.

"Yeah well…what are you gonna do? It's over now, and they did have a point in doing what they did."

Yoko whipped her head to the left to see the slanted image of Revy sitting on the corner of her new bed. "Doesn't mean that those guys know what's best for Naru-kun," she hissed as she sat upright on her bed, all the while clutching her pillow tighter to her chest.

"May be wrong, but they know what doing, aru!" the broken Japanese of one Ku Fei reached Yoko's ears and soon after, the pom-pom haired girl eased herself out of the darkness of the Seal.

"Still-," Yoko tried again to finish her rant, but once again, someone interrupted her yet again.

"Sometimes, something horrible has to occur in order for something good to happen..."

Yoko growled at the words spoken from within the darkness. It grated on her nerves at what she heard, because part of her knew that it was correct. Hell, she was a living testament to that saying; if not for being mistaken as a demon and sealed within Naruto, she would have never known true unyielding love.

"Alright, I know you're _all_ there, so why don't you all just come out, now!" Yoko barked annoyingly into the depths of the Seal. It was no surprise to her when Ku and Revy just smirked and waited along side her for their sister to appear.

One by one, like wraiths in the night, or, more precisely, like succubi slinking out from the darkness into men's minds to flaunt and prance, the Heroines made themselves known. Yoko quickly picked out the familiar forms of Maggie Mui in her tall stature and suitcase filled to the brim with paper, Tsumura Tokiko with her sailor-style school uniform and horizontal facial scar, and Shirayuki Mizore in a heavy sweat shirt and lollipop. Those three girls quickly took their places by the bed, either standing by the corners, or taking a seat on the actual bed and waited for the other five Heroines to make their entrance.

The first of the remaining feminine starter ten slowly walked from the darkness, her steps calculated and preplanned. Her rich blonde hair cascaded down her back like molten gold, coming just short of her rear. Her slightly torn and worn black dress held her form with much elegance and grace, even though it looked to be old and tired. Her slim and small form could easily fool most men into a false sense of security, but both her martial arts knowledge and her body augmentation would simply crush her foes and dice up her enemies. She was the feared, and rightfully so, space assassin "Golden Darkness," or more commonly known to her close friends, Yami.

Wasting no time, a second form appeared and made her way to the bed just as her shorter sister had. Her wine-colored hair stuck up in place while at the same time stayed cleanly above her shoulders, though it never fell into her murky blue eyes. An equally wine colored headband was across her forehead, a testament of her devotion to her cause, and a reminder to all the brothers and sisters she lost in her fight for freedom. To some, her outfit would seem provocative with a close fitting top with no sleeves, and a uniformly tight fitting pair of piloting pants. It was evident to all that would look at her way of dress that she favored the color of her hair, as all of the clothing had the some tint of red. However, it was also evident to anyone who was to gaze onto her meek, yet slender, form, that she was a warrior, tried and true, and would end all who opposed her ideals or threatened her loved ones. Kallen Stadtfeld, Ace of the Black Knights, was a woman one never wanted to cross.

After the stunningly beautiful, as well as strikingly deadly, Kallen came to rest on the four-poster bed; a much younger looking woman entered the scene. By no means, however, was she young. Her short onyx hair formed around her skull like an eggshell with the same type sleek smoothness as the small oval item. Her eyes were of a casual and common brown that one would see in the eyes of a civilian, not a Heroine of her class. Her outfit was of a similar observation since it consisted of a white blouse and a black skirt with a fitting blood red bowtie completing the ensemble. In all regards, the outfit was that of a Japanese high school student, but the full-length katana that she held firmly and gracefully within her left hand told those that opposed her that she was not willing to falter or lose. Otonashi Saya, one of the two Chiropteran Queens, could, and would, live up to her kind's ruthlessness if pressed, and she would not look back.

As Saya found her place next to Tokiko, a woman of equal clothing, yet another young lady, made her way into the circle of light. She was by far one of youngest, as well as one of the shortest Heroines that consisted of the starter 10. She was just a little taller than Ku Fei, a feat that was not easily achieved by the young honey blonde-haired shamrock-eyed girl. She also wore a school type uniform just like Tokiko, Mizore, and Saya, but her uniform had one major difference. Her uniform, which consisted of a white long sleeved blouse, yellow sweater vest, and a red plain skirt, was topped off with a long flowing, midnight black trench coat; a trench coat that reeked of the 'blood' of vile spirits. Her form-fitting white gloves, gloves that assisted in her grip, also spoke volumes to those that knew of her weapon of choice. Maka "Scythe Meister" Albarn was one of the most feared Weapon Meisters among the tainted souls of killers and rapists.

Yoko looked around her to the women that now took refuge around her new bed with interest. All were there, all but one. The one Heroine that stood above all the others, just as Alucard stood above all the Heroes in Naruto's current possession. She had yet to make her appearance. Yoko, if she were honest with herself, feared both Alucard as well as the final Heroine, for both of their power was just below her own. In truth, there were probably a total of five to six beings held within the inner confides of the Omnitrix that could rival her in raw power, and maybe two that could hope to defeat her in an outright match. The woman approaching the nine Heroines and one angel could most likely have a draw with the crimson-haired Archangel.

The rhythmic and hypnotizing _click, clack_ of stilettos announced the approach of one of the most feared and powerful woman to ever exist in any of God's creation. She emerged from the darkness, her crystalline blue eyes were shut serenely, which caused two beauty marks at the corners of her eyes to seem more pronounced, more stunning and defined. To every woman in the circle of light, this one woman, this pure maiden of love and of unrivaled magical prowess, also embodied unadulterated beauty and allure. She was, by far, one of the most beautiful women that the ten other women ever saw. The approaching woman's sleek silver hair reached far past her rear, and her heart-shaped face and sensual smile could cause any man to fall to her feet. However, she would not allow them to woo her or to capture her, for as she was the embodiment of beauty and power, she was also the embodiment of love; a love that she fought Heaven, Hell, Earth, and several false Gods for. Her choice of dress, a skintight leather body suit, was also something that the other ten girls would not dare pull off, either out of how embarrassed they would be, or out of the lack of the proper body measurements; the other girls would not say. Her measurements were that of a Goddess and her voice was of an angel. She _was_ beauty, but she was also power, a power that could easily be harnessed and manipulated by the large pistol strapped to her sculpted hip, the pistol Senryu. Kurohime, slayer of Gods and the strongest Witch Gunslinger, was one of the only women that Yoko feared to fight.

"You and I should know," Kurohime continued, as she stalked towards the wine-colored bed, "just what it means to have a blessing within a curse."

Yoko continued to gaze at the ravishing woman before her. She swore, if only to herself, that if the option to ever become 'more then comrades' was ever offered by the silver-haired goddess, Yoko would not help but accept the offer. It was not that she swung towards the left, it was just that Kurohime, in all her glory and splendor, could easily seduce a member of the same sex into a relationship with her; that is if Kurohime so wished it. However, her heart was solely for the one and only Zero, so there was no need to worry.

However, Yoko did worry. She knew there were quite a few other women in the running for the lips of her love…so it was only a matter of time before she got roped into some strange, and rather perverted, circumstances. That, though, was a thought for another more appropriate time, for Yoko was brought out of her inner musing as Kurohime laid herself upon the bed, sprawling out like the massive and sensual feline that she was.

"Dirty," Kurohime said with a wink, as she seemed to be manipulating and reading Yoko's mind.

"Anyway, even though Naruto received a piece of the world he entered into, it is not enough," she continued, her voice dark and cold as she gazed up into the endless darkness above the bed's canopy. "I agree with Alucard and the others. He must be reminded, time and time again, on what he chose." The look of outrage and impending protest from Yoko was stifled by a sharp piercing glance from the Goddess of women.

"This boy has yet to walk!" Kurohime barked out, "And yet, he wishes to run with the herd. Agito would put it like this, 'this team has the power, the moves, the speed, and whatever the Hell else that pig has to offer…but, they're missing the one thing that all Teams have: the heartlessness of crushing another Team's hopes and dreams and climbing over their corpses to the top of the Tower'…or something like that…"

Kurohime sighed as she saw Yoko confused look and attempted to interject. "That means that he must be taught and _shown_ what choice he made before he breaks… he still holds this world within a Black and White lens, he needs to see the gray within it." Kurohime sighed woefully. Most Heroes saw life only in a black and white aspect and that caused most of them to fall from grace. She sighed again and quickly switched gears, continuing.

"Naruto, even if he has not admitted it yet, has chosen to protect: not just you; not just the other girls that will fall for him and vice versa; not just this village; not just these people. He has chosen to protect _all!_" Kurohime shot up and looked keenly at each and every one of the Heroines around her. Within her eyes was something, something that each of the girls gasped at. It was a conviction and adoration that was frighteningly strong. "He will become the Greed of this land, the old and honorable Homunculus that taught Edward and fought against Father. Naruto will not be satisfied with just this land, not just these people. He will defend all, protect all, and care for all!

"But!" Kurohime grew so quiet that all the other girls had to lean in closely, even Yoko, in order to hear what she proclaimed next. "But, Greed will not be the only one. Because of you Yoko," a finger snapped in the aforementioned woman's face, "because of your Angelic influence and because of past events, more sins have been manifesting; manifesting stronger in him than in other humans. His Wrath is slowly but surely growing, as is his Envy and his Pride. His Gluttony is under control as well as his Sloth, and then there is his Lust. His Lust is almost non-existent, _but_ once his other mates start to converge, it will explode outward like a weed."

"He will beat them all!" Yoko interrupted loudly and brashly. This caused Kurohime to look upon her with an accusing eye, "He will!"

Yoko knew what could happen to those who were plagued by the seven deadly sins. It was not a pretty sight, but she had full confidence in her love, in her mate. She knew that he would overcome, that he would achieve victory. He was her one and only, so it would be no other way.

Kurohime grinned wolfishly at her proclamation. "Of course he will, of course he will…"

XxXxX with Kitenhime XxXxX

"_No! You mustn't Ikuto!" Tomiko stuttered out from her position on the bed. "You just mustn't!"_

_But Ikuto just smirked, and to Tomiko, it was a smirk that set her blood afire. He inched closer, his impressive male form shadowed by the room's lack of lighting. When he neared her, his hand caressed her bare skin, so smooth and slick with the sweat of his body. His teeth flashed dangerously bright as he brushed his hand across the leather restraints that kept her wrists strapped to her ankles and her plump, inviting rear positioned high in the cool night's air. _

"_You know you asked for this once you said those three little words," he cooed, like a father to a newborn babe. _

_He lowered his head, dragging his untrustworthy tongue across her spine. His torturous tongue, an organ she wished to damn for all eternity, came to rest just at the junction of her slender neck and glossy shoulder. Ikuto nipped her lightly before settling down to suckle the small joint. Oh how he loved the taste of her flesh, her porcelain white and icy smooth skin. He wanted more and more and more still. He wanted her to _**beg**_ for it to continue._

"_Now say it," He ordered into her ear, "Say those Three. Little. Words."_

"_Never," she spat out venomously. "I should have never said then in the first place---ahhh~!" Her voice quivered like a violinist's note as he teased her body. _

_His hands were at it again, plundering her, viciously and mercilessly owning her. Her eyes snapped open as he ended his intrusion on her core and moved to strike her rear with a resounding _SLAP_. The moment the spank ended though, his fingers returned to conquer her and not just her core._

_She whimpered in such a way that she truly sounded like some type of dog. "Plea—se," she barely formed her sentence as she felt his one, lone finger pillage her second most sacred and undefiled place. "No—o! Please for a--ahh~—ll that's goo—oh~ od please not _there_!"_

_Oh, how she wished the leather shackles that bound her in this humiliating and demeaning position were gone. She could barely remember how she came to fall into this situation. All she truly remembered was saying those three words at their last meeting, a meeting she believed was at some teashop two days ago, and when she came to meet him again she was, she believed, knocked unconscious and woke up on this king-sized bed, bound and restrained._

_Her thoughts shattered as his accursed tongue entered the assault. Her back arched as best it could from her facedown position on the bed as he licked, nipped, and probed her. Damn those shackles! She wondered, well she wondered as best as her pleasure riddled mind could, even with all her Kunoichi training, why couldn't she break these restraints? Or, at best, unlock them?_

"_Come now, Tomiko-chan~… Just say those three words, and I'll end it all~!"_

_She wanted to scream back at his silky words. She wanted to shove those sugarcoated words straight down his throat. She wanted—_

"_AHH~!" _

_--… she wanted him and him only…for the rest of her days…_

"_I should have killed—ahh~ you when I had the cha—oh~--ance…" she spat as she looked over her shoulder at him._

_To Ikuto, she was of the pinnacle of beauty, and he had seen many beauties in his day, what with being a Missing-Nin and visiting brothels and the likes when the time called for it. However, with her hair plastered against her shapely back like trickling streams of midnight water, and her eyes like lemon drops in their golden hue, an uncommon hue to women and, finally, her sweat drenched and blushing face and swollen lips…she was of the utmost to the word, _breathtaking_. He almost had to will himself to continue the torturous torment upon her senses and her begging core. _

"Yes," he agreed gazing into her golden eyes, eyes that had a fiery and seething wrath that he wanted directed at himself. "You probably should have…" He loved her raw, untamed emotions; her Greed for his form pressed against his, her Lust for his warm and throbbing member, her Wrath for him when he took control of their 'playtime', her Pride for when they 'played', and her Happiness and Joy as she laid cuddled up against his chest once 'playtime' had come to its…climatic ending.

He remembered when she was not like this, when she wore a veil over her soul and just smiled and laughed whenever he did something that called for such a reaction. All the while, she wore the veil when they had first met, she was waiting, waiting for a moment that she could slit his throat in his sleep or slip poison into his tea as they drank together. His ex-leader sent her to him …six months ago. Since then, they had progressed, almost exponentially to this stage, and there was nothing in the world that would take this away from him.

_He nipped the shell of her ear as he got his mind 'back in the game'. His hand was still conducting the orchestra between her thighs, and he loved the music that was coming forth because of it. Her whimpers, her moans, her little "please…st—op" or "no—oh~--t ther—e," but his favorite was when she gently began to succumb to the sensations of her body with words like "m-more" or the subtle "y-y-YES~."_

"_Now say it…," he hissed into her ear as he bit it with just a little more force. As he said that, he doubled his force on her nether region, so much so, that her body rocked with each thrust and the sound of slapping flesh resounded around the room; a sound that Ikuto found strangely appealing._

_Her back arched painfully within her restraints, and she cried out with enough force to shake Ikuto's body. She was near her wit's end. She could feel her body coiling in upon itself, waiting and fueling its own fires as it waited for the catalyst to send it, and her, over the edge to ecstasy. With each thrust and intrusion of his finger within each of her sacred places, she could feel the end coming. He suddenly bit into her shoulder and suckled the flesh harshly, an action that nearly sent her over the edge. Just a little more, just a little more torment and she would be—almost, almost th—er---e—_

_He stopped._

_He stopped just as she was about to release, release all of her soul and pleasure upon the bed sheets and him. He deliberately stopped and halted her release; he was now torturing her more then when she was a martyr to his skilled fingers and mouth. _

"_Say it," Even as he said that, his fingers did not move from within her sacred places, and as time ticked by without her answer, he would jerk his fingers either to the left or the right and cause her to cry out. It was just enough of a pleasure stimulator so that her peak would just be out of arms reach, but still there to cause havoc with her mind._

"_Say it!"_

"_I…I…" she couldn't take it anymore. No matter how much she wished to defy him, to show him that she was the pinnacle of Kunoichi training, she just couldn't stand not having her release, her mind-numbing orgasm._

"_I…Lo-Love…You…" there, she had finally said it. She had finally admitted to the man that stood behind her bound form that she loved him, that she cared for him, and that she would do anything for him. Even if she did not say those exact words aloud to him, he could hear them still, echoing inside of his mind just as much as the words "I love you" echoed in the room. _

_Ikuto smiled down at her as she again gazed over her sweat-covered shoulder at him, those intoxicating eyes, swollen and rosy red lips, unfocused eyes, and reddened face gazing back at him. She was now his…and no one else's. _

"_Good girl, my sweet, sweet Tomiko-chan…" Ikuto cooed into her ear before licking its shell, causing her to sigh happily._

_To her surprise, his hands left her core and rear, his lips departed from her shoulder and neck, and he stepped away from her. She wished to protest, for she loved the warmth of his flesh against her own and within her. Ikuto took a moment, as he set the final scene, to drink in her form; he had been in a rush to position her and strip her that he did not take the time to appreciate her nude young figure._

_He positioned her upon her knees with her wrists clasped to her ankles by two sets of leather shackles. Because of this, Tomiko could not raise herself from her stomach and kept her face plastered to the pillow at the head of the bed. The shackles also kept her heart-shaped rear jutting up into the air, and with her legs spread, just enough he was able to gaze at her in a most revealing and humiliating way. He saw her pink and puckered rose bud; it had been assaulted in such a way that it was more of a delicious cherry red than a soft rosy pink, but that did not stop his mouth from watering and his body from growing firmer still. He also saw her glistening nether lips. Oh how he wanted to, almost literally, sink his teeth into those begging and plump lips, clean of hair, and feast upon her like there was no tomorrow, with her moans as the 'show' to his 'dinner'. Her breasts, her curvy breasts of such size and mass, that any man would gladly lay his life on the line for just a taste, grope, or caress of those wonderful orbs. The strange thing was that, even though they were masked and unseen do to the bedspread and hidden from view, her delicious breasts could not be consider that of monstrous proportions, but of those considered a 'healthy handful'. They were of a size that were not disgustingly large or with grotesque sag, but they were 'perky' with coin-sized areolas and pebble hard nipples. He licked his lips subconsciously before advancing upon her._

_Tomiko was about to see if had abandoned her to her semi-glow status when she felt his fingers assault her again, and with a moan, she reveled in the attack. Something was different; something was not the same as before. His finger, the finger taking part in the attack, seemed to be much thicker and of a sturdier quality than of the fingers prior. However, she was not complaining in that aspect, as he teased the outer lips of her womanhood and the contours of her puckered rosy bud. She was panting, rocking to and fro with his teasing, but she could not keep the thought of how different this finger was compared to the ones before from plaguing her mind. That was, until the realization that the 'finger' was not actually a finger…but something of a grander scale, a realization in the form of a slight bit of penetration._

_He was claiming her! It was inch by miniscule inch, but the fact remained as clear as the nose on his face, or the painfully taunt erection that was beginning to plunder her. In the time that the two had known each other, Tomiko had tried, unsuccessfully, to seduce him in bed in order to kill him, but he had always beaten her to the punch by forcing her into an orgasmic sleep. Yet now, now, it was truly happening. She was now his, just as she promised in the words she spoke earlier, but with the action figuratively sealing the deal, she truly knew what it meant to be his. His to toy with, to own, to control…and it felt _wonderful_! _

_He stalled in his taken. His arms, which clasped her sweat slick hips, shook with barely restrained lust. He wanted to throw himself into the throes of lust and passion without looking back, but he needed her to say one last thing. With a shaking breath, a breath he disguised as a superior chuckle of dominance, he continued. He, too, finally understood what the words she spoke to him, the same words he held for her within his heart, truly and honestly meant. He had been with countless women in and out of missions, as well as numerous prostitutes and whores out of Ninja service, but none of them held a candle to what she was doing to his libido, body, and soul. To any other woman, he could have taken her with ease, without looking back or without losing himself to the sensation of her body. However, Tomiko and her body were treating his trained and experienced form like some type of first timer! Like some type of boy laying his first crush. Yet he loved this feeling, this feeling of feeling this sensation anew, like a virgin._

_He was now one with his love, forced to the hilt and she surprised him as she wished for the friction more then he did. She rocked her hips from side to side, as she whimpered and pleaded heatedly. He almost gave her what she pleaded for; he almost surrendered himself to the tidal wave of sexual pleasure, but he reminded himself that he needed to hear that one word. As she rocked against his member for a second time in hopes of his surrender, he stilled her rebellious waist with his hands to the point that his fingernails began to draw blood._

"_What am I to you, Tomiko-chan?" he hissed through clenched teeth._

_That intoxicating face turned to him once more, drool slipping from her open maw and sweat dripping off her nose. Her eyes, shadowed by indescribable pleasure spoke the word he wished to hear, he just needed to hear it from her lips. "Plea-ease Sir…ca-can I ha—AH~--ave some mo—Oh~--ore…" she took a page, quite literately, from a classic piece of literature in hopes of persuading him…but to no avail._

_A sharp spank to her rear silenced her play on words. _

"_What am I?"_

"_I-I beg yo—OH~--ou Love, plea—"_

_Another sharp resounding spank forced a moan like none before it to pierce her lips._

"_WHAT AM I!?" he barked impatiently. Not only was she begging for the main attraction to begin, but Ikuto's body was also beginning to betray him. Each spank that he delivered to Tomiko sent pleasant vibrations through her very flesh and teased his aching member as well as her inner core and nub. _

"_YOU'RE MY MASTER! MY OWNER! MY RULER!" she squealed out._

_With a gruff sound, Ikuto claimed her. He withdrew, before pillaging her like a mighty enemy army. Her sounds of submission only fuelled his actions to the point of desperation. A truly perverted and deranged part of him needed to hear her approval as well as her words of surrender. _

"_Is it good, my Dear?" he whispered but could easily hear them over the sound of slick slapping flesh._

_And her response was a loud and clear—_

XxXxX Real world XxXxX

"Um…Miss Snake Summon."

"YES MY MASTER!!!" Kitenhime screamed out, completely forgetting her place between reality and fiction.

Time stopped in such a way in that one single instance that it was almost destroyed. For Kitenhime, as she lay there on her stomach while reading one of the most _interesting_ books in existence, she could not believe that the boy caught her red-handed reading such a dirty, _dirty_ book. Slowly, she rotated her head with clicking and jerking motions, so that she was facing the fully clothed, yet wet-haired, Uzumaki Naruto. Her gaze swept up to the top of his golden blonde head to the bottom of his bare feet, then swept back up his male body, taking points to stop and examine certain areas before gazing into his crystal blue eyes.

This was the form of a _man?_ This was the instrument of such pleasure, feeling, and emotions? …Oh my… That one book, bound in an innocent orange paperback cover, had awakened some kind of new revelation inside of Kitenhime, as well as solidified the thought of changing into her human form more often. Then the thought of that morning's 'morning wood' incident entered into her mind like a gust of scorching air. Her eyes once again trailed his body, but this time, she had a destiny in mind at which she was about to gaze at.

"Grr, bark bark…," whimpered Nimaru, as he peered over the top of the coffee table, stopping Kitenhime's quest for sight. His words could be translated as 'Pervert…' or something close to it.

Kitenhime's face flared red, or as red as it could with her deep purple and black-ringed scales, and she attempted to hide the orange-bound masterpiece under a nearby magazine with a shuffle of her coils and a flick of her tail. She coughed into her tail; head titled to not reveal her blush, as difficult to see it as it was, and addressed the newly washed Naruto.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat to refocus his attention on her. "Now, I don't mean to be rude, but I think that you should grab something quick to eat and head out right away. I don't think it would be wise if we were late."

…and Naruto stared.

"…uh…grr whimper bark grr, woof…"

…and still he stared.

"…ugh…" Kitenhime sighed in annoyance and impatience, her face tilted towards the table top and the tip of her tail massaging her temple. "Yes, I can talk. Now, can we get on with things!" her words were crisp and harsh though she did not mean them to be.

Naruto blinked at her outburst, and almost took a step back out of habit, but caught himself. He nodded rather timidly in response to show the temperamental summon that he understood what she meant, and what she wanted him to grasp.

"Good, now that we have overcome _that _obstacle now…," she said with a sigh and a nod before she continued, "…get over here and pick me up!"

Naruto couldn't help but raise an eyebrow for two reasons: one being the motion that the snake-girl made, a motion similar to that of a tempering babe with her coils akin to a pair of outstretched arms, and two, being the command itself.

"Why should I…uh…"

"Kitenhime," Kitenhime informed, knowing that the young man was missing her name, "and because Anko told me to look after you for the day, and I plan on doing just that." She finished matter-of-factly.

"Wait, wait, wait," Naruto interjected, placing his hands before him in a halting nature, "You mean that crazy…crazy woman sent you to look after me today?"

"Not only her, Hana-sempai put Nimaru in charge of looking after you as well! This way, I'll have someone who's able to keep up an intelligent conversation!"

Naruto bristled at that comment. He could indeed hold up one side of a conversation without a single problem. Why just the other day—

"Now, we all know that you're trying to justify how you can hold one end of a conversation within that small mind of yours, but need I remind you: _we have a schedule to keep to!"_ Kitenhime had to keep her voice level and calm, lest she scream in outrage. Outrage for the fact that they were currently late, or at least in her mind they were late, and being late to your first team meeting with a Jounin Ninja instructor was never a way one should start off their relationship with their future teacher.

Grumbling in a way that would make one of his fellow Genin proud, Naruto stalked over to the coffee table and stooped to retrieve the controlling and manipulative snake. However, she surprised him by leaping, in the way that snakes only could, and coiled herself around his neck. At first, Naruto was about to wrench her from his throat in fear, and instinct, that she may attempt to strangle him, but the way that her scales brushed against his skin, and the way that an uncommon warmth radiated off of her seemed to calm his conspiracies.

A sniff redirected Naruto's attention towards the ground, or more precisely towards the medium-sized canine that was sitting on its haunches before him. When Naruto first took in the dog, he had to resist the urge to call it a wolf, or something along the same lines. It was, in his opinion, large and slightly scary. It was not that he minded dogs; it was just that dogs were not something he came in contact with often, kind of like women, so he couldn't stop himself from being slightly wary. Not only for Nimaru, but for Kitenhime as well, even though she was giving off an aura of no aggression.

The dog, much to Naruto's worry, rose from his haunches and began to circle the blonde. Naruto suppressed the urge to stiffen under the scrutinizing gaze of Nimaru, but that did not stop him from sweating. Kitenhime smirked from her position around Naruto's neck, a position akin to that of a draping shawl, as Nimaru inspected, as well as intimidated, the young blonde. All Nimaru was honestly doing was checking out the blonde that interested his partner and close friend. It was common to animals, dogs especially, to inspect new future members to their packs and families.

Nimaru finished his rounding, coming to a stop in front of Naruto once again. He had inspected most of the boy's body structure, looking at the muscle density, mass, and height. He was moderately impressed with his structure, but there was much, much room for improvement. Then the thought of the young man still being a Genin entered Nimaru's mind, as well as the information of his burden and curse, something he heard the four girls talking about at one point in time, so he would give the boy leeway in that regard. However, Nimaru couldn't help but smile, knowing that the four women living on this level of the Shinobi's only apartment complex would take a liking, or loving, whichever came first, to the young man and help him on his road to greatness. Smiling at the thought, Nimaru leveled his eyes with those of Naruto's and stared deep into them. This was the last part of the inspection, and one of the most crucial steps: the judge of character and soul. Animals were lucky in having the innate ability to read into people's hearts and could easily judge whether a man was either kind or aggressive, just by being near them.

It seemed that this young man's soul was troubled, Nimaru concluded: troubled, worried, but overall intact and understanding. Understanding to the world and its inner cruel workings, yet, Nimaru narrowed his eyes just a margin as he dug deeper. The boy still held an infantile view towards the profession and goal he chose. Interesting…

With a huff of air through his nostrils and a gruff sound, Nimaru approved of the young blonde Genin. He then barked sharply and shortly as he walked past the sweating Naruto, and headed into the mid-sized kitchenette.

"Well," Kitenhime giggled with a grin that split her spear-shaped face, "it seems that Nimaru approves of you, as will the rest of the Haimaru Triplets, I would guess. Now follow that butch!"

Try as he might, Naruto could not send the young Snake Summon a quizzical stare seeing as her head was located underneath his chin. He then sighed in defeat and followed the light gray and white dog into the kitchenette. Once he entered the kitchenette, Naruto waited for instructions from the Snake Summon, for he had a feeling that as long as the young summon was in his presence, he would not be making any of his own decisions. A feeling that he knew he was going to be very familiar with in the future. Nimaru was stalking around the mid-sized kitchenette while looking at the counter tops at some of the strewn and displaced foods and snacks forgotten by their prior purchaser, and by the now moved in Naruto.

Nimaru suddenly tilted his head towards the defeated Naruto and barked, thus getting the spaced teenager's attention. Nimaru then jerked his angular skull towards one side of the counter top, the side that held a bowl of fresh fruit. Naruto looked at the dog in confusion as Nimaru continued to motion towards the bowl of fruit, not entirely understanding what the dog meant to say. Sure, it was a bowl of fruit; what was he supposed to do about it?

"Ah, good idea Nimaru," Kitenhime piped in. "Naruto, get a couple of apples and let's head out. You can eat them on the way to the training grounds."

"Wait," Naruto tried to make his case heard against the pushy and controlling summon. "Kakashi-sensei told us not to eat breakfast. Not unless we-"

"-like throwing up?" Kitenhime finished for him. She rolled her eyes, even though he could not see the action, and justified her own reasoning for the breakfast suggestion, "You're going up against a Jounin instructor, right? Well, I doubt that even if you had read the _entire_ Forbidden Scroll you'd even have a shadow of a chance in Hell of defeating him…so what's a couple of apples to help stave off hunger going to do…?"

"That's not the point. The point is I was instructed not to eat!" Naruto's bullheadedness once again began to rear its uniquely shaped snout.

"…Naruto-kohai…" Kitenhime stated with the utmost calmness in her voice, "…just take the apples. You'll need them, trust me…"

At the tone of her voice, Naruto once again sighed in defeat and reached forth to snag three apples from the bowl upon the counter top, foregoing the strict words of his sensei. They were about the size of his closed fist, and with two of them, Naruto placed them into his left lower pocket of his forest green cargo pants. Taking the third and final apple, Naruto brought it to his lips. With a flash of bright white canines, a quite hungry Naruto tore into the apple, though he would not tell the Summon that he was indeed hungry. It was no wonder he was hungry, considering that all he had to eat within the span of 24 hours were the few bowls of ramen that he had when he was entertaining Hinata and Ayame as Negi Springfield.

As he devoured the innocent and unsuspecting apple, much to the hidden glee of Kitenhime as she smiled impishly, Naruto made his way towards the front door of his new apartment in an increasingly faster pace with each of his steps, Nimaru hot on his heels. By the time Naruto tore the door of his apartment open, he was at a dull jog, and quickly gaining. He entered the hallway outside his apartment and he was skidding across the dark carpet due to his speed, with Nimaru performing a similar act, only that Nimaru accidentally struck the far wall, causing a yelp in surprise. This in return, as Naruto tore down the hallway, brought forth a boisterous laugh from the blonde teen's lips. He rocketed down the narrow stairwell with Kitenhime securely around his neck, and with Nimaru bound on behind him, the sounds of childish laughter echoing throughout the concrete stairwell. Once all three of them had reached the rooftop, Naruto launched himself high into the crisp morning air, the bright morning sun glitter off of his sapphire eyes.

It was a wonderful day to become a Shinobi…

XxXxX End (Part One) XxXxX

AN:

Now remember: this is just part one. The chapters original size was 111 pages, but was broken up. As of now, my editor is currently working on the other parts so look for them in the foreseeable or unforeseeable future.

Tell me what you think of my work, but please be mature and considerate. If you have something to say then 'Do unto others' when you say it.

Also, there is a poll on my profile about stories for the future. Please vote: poll ends at the end of April '10

TTFN

Evilsheeplordthatsaysmoo


	5. Fourth Fist: Second Finger

Moo

AN: oh my, oh my. It sure is hot. And not the good hot.

Anyway, there two new loves in my life: Vulpine Studios, and Sakaki from Azumanga Daioh. For the Vulpine Studios…oh my goodness. Their art work is breath taking, awe inspiring, and furry. I have to say, because of this one studio, I have come to 'love' furries; not the creepy people that dress up as animals and…do things, no I love the artwork. As for Sakaki…silent cuddly type. 'Nough said.

For my repeat readers out there I would like to tell you the winner of my "Next Story" winner. The winner is 'Welcome Home", a Naruto/Bleach crossover. The first chapter should be out after the next chapter of 'All Black' (which is in the cleaners at the moment). This story will be a short one, maybe six or seven chapters.

Disclaimer: Buddy, Other, Purple-Butt, Brownie, and Unnamed Red-tag are the sheep I own, Naruto and any other anime, television, music, life, political, religion, or anything else that may show up in this work of fiction.

XxXxX Training Ground; Time 08:00 XxXxX

It would have been a wonderful day to become a Shinobi if they started when Naruto arrived at the training ground…

He had arrived _just _on time, and just as Sasuke and Sakura entered the field as well. Both gave him a skeptical glance as they saw a strange snake-shaped necklace around the blonde's throat and a medium-sized dog flanking him. Sasuke had only given him one of his 'patented' questioning/demanding and demeaning stares, while Sakura asked him outright what a dog was doing being associated with him, as well as to why he was wearing such a strange necklace.

A strange thing happened to Naruto as Sakura ran up to him with a scowl on her face and asked him several questions. The thing was that when she neared, and as her cherry-scented shampoo entered his nose, Naruto almost ran forth and greeted her in his normal way, boisterous and forthcoming with a splash of unshakable loyalty and affection. What was even more disturbing was the fact that he had to fight off the urge to wrap his arms around her in a comforting and loving gesture. It was as if, in that one instance in time, he once again forgot all of the past misgivings.

That is, he forgot until he felt _her_. Until he felt, the heated arms of his first mate encircle his shoulders, and the sensation of her scorching breath against his cheek and neck. Sakura neared, circled his form, and began spouting out accusations towards Naruto's choice of accessories and rattling off assumptions about the canine companion. Yet, as the pink-haired woman spewed forth her words, Naruto was, for a lack of a better term, in an entirely different world.

"**You can't,"** Yoko whispered. This was the first time she spoke since the night prior, and Naruto found himself oddly dependent on it, without even knowing it. He wished for the words to encompass him, to become him. He wanted to wallow in the words, to soak them in and never be without them.

"**You can't keep bringing back those feelings for her…she will only bring pain and suffering to you, and you know it." **

He knew that she was right, even if deep, _deep_ down, he did not wish it. What was the feeling he felt? What was this a new emotion? No, it wasn't new; he had felt it a long time ago when he gazed at smiling families and giggling couples, but never thought upon it.

"**Its called 'longing'…and 'loss'…you've held onto that emotion of love when thinking of her for so long, that it's hard to accept the concept of 'letting her go'… you want to keep her close, even though she is harmful to you. Not only in the physical sense, but also the mental and emotional sense as well."**

Sakura was now staring directly into his face, talking to him about something or another, yet the words were striking a stonewall.

"**I know that you want to go on as if all those mean words and all these actions as if they never happened. I know that you want to forget the revelation you had yesterday, I really do, but you can't. You can't continue. You're causing yourself harm because of this. Trust me; it's for the best…as much as it may hurt."**

He understood. He truly understood, even as Sakura paraded before him saying such demeaning things and hurtful words, but it felt so much like when Iruka left him. It felt so similar…

"…**I'm sorry, Naru-kun…"**

Naruto turned abruptly, causing Sakura to make a squawk-like sound at the abruptness of his actions. He headed towards a nearby tree, Nimaru was directly behind him sending fleeting glances towards the pink-haired girl, wondering how long she was going to last in this line of profession. Once Naruto came to the tree, he sat with his back against the coarse bark, his legs, clad in a deep forest-green, stretched out before him. Sakura was now yelling at him, demanding answers from the blonde in front of her. Naruto realized that she was louder than he remembered as he tilted his head backwards. He did not notice Nimaru lying down beside him, or how Kitenhime grew heavier on his neck, her concern and aggravation causing her steel exterior to harden and densen.

Before they arrived at the training ground, Kitenhime told Naruto that she was only an observer and that she was going to remain around his neck to make sure she could give a detailed report back to Anko. When he asked how, she smirked and bit her tail. Naruto could not see what was happening below his chin, but when he felt a slight increase of weight on his neck, he knew something was up. He brought Kitenhime up to speak with directly by grasping her gently and moving her like a necklace, but when he did so, all he saw was a silver version of Kitenhime. She perfectly resembled a necklace, seeing as she grasped her tail in her jaw to complete the loop. He smiled at her ingenuity and continued his trek towards the training ground.

He closed his eyes as he sat against the tree. It was a futile attempt to shut Sakura's voice out, a voice that was grating on his nerves in a way that did not anger him but saddened and caused him pain. It was probably the first time that the actual meanings of her words were striking against his bare flesh. Part of him wondered how he could withstand these actions if her words caused this much pain.

A new sensation washed over Naruto's form as he sat there in the cool, comforting shade. A weight, an ethereal weight, sat itself down upon his open and vacant lap. _She _was here, yet she was only a figment, a wonderful caring phantom. She positioned herself on his empty lap, her warmth seeping into him, more so then it had even done before. Gently her arms encircled his neck, just as they would be if she were standing behind him like usual. Her breath was a fleeting embrace as she pressed against him, teasing him. She was comforting him, as she always was and always would. She snuggled against his chest, as if trying to get as close to his painfully throbbing heart as she possible could, yet all the while, she wished to stay with him, on the outside.

Naruto didn't know if he should move his hands to embrace her, to hold his Yoko close, or to allow her to continue. Part of him knew that if the other two saw him suddenly hugging something that was not there, they would ask more questions, questions that he could not, nor would not; give them the pleasure of knowing. Therefore, he settled on moving his arm just enough so that his hand could caress the underside of her thigh, an action that caused him to blush to an untold degree. Yoko giggled at his shyness, and at the action itself, as it touched her at a place that was quite ticklish. Her embrace increased, causing both Naruto and Yoko to sigh into each other.

Naruto took the time to think as Yoko, in her invisible and ethereal form, breathed into his ear, though not in a way that was seductive, but in a way that confirmed she was there. Only four days passed before he truly met this woman, and yet, they had progressed this far, but the fact remained; they were bound to one another now, just like a husband would be to his wife. Part of him wondered if it was justly ok for him to feel, and act, like this. Was it ok for him to cuddle up to this woman that he only knew since four days ago? Was it ok for him to crave her warmth, as he did now?

She ran her fingers over his lips lovingly, tracing their contours and committing them to memory. His hand instinctually gripped her thigh tighter as she did this.

Yes, it was ok. It was ok for him to crave her form, her figure. It was natural for him to thirst for her breath and her essence. He shut his eyes then, savoring her in all that she was. A small part of him was ashamed that he was still relying on someone. All throughout his young life, he depended on no one. Even though it was just him at first, then slowly came Iruka…but with his passing, came Yoko. Not only her though, several more women, more Mates. Could he handle it? Could he really allow himself to show weakness to complete strangers?

"**You think too much for someone as jelly-headed as you are,"** Yoko giggled into his ear.

Coming out of his inner debate, a debate she most likely heard, now that he thought about it, he sent her a questioning gaze.

She grinned in a hypnotic and infatuating way before gazing deeply into his eyes, **"All will be fine if you trust in the Lord…"**

Naruto's questioning gaze increased to a level akin to a scathing, and ridiculing, glare. Yoko was a testament that God existed, but the events of his past life begged to differ with the evidence. If there were a God, an almighty and benevolent being that made all and ruled all, then why would he suffer as he did? Why would he be alone, parentless? Why was his life plagued with sadness and misery if God was supposed to be kind?

Naruto huffed and broke eye contact with the bright-haired phantom, though his hand gripped her thigh even more. Yoko herself sighed as well. It seemed that the concept of there being a reason behind his suffering, his loneliness, and the loss of his 'brother,' was something that he could not come to terms with. Maybe he never would. Sighing, Yoko gripped Naruto even more. One day, he would understand with the blessing in his curse… one day, just as she now understood her own 'curse'.

Time ticked on. Minutes soon bled into hours, and still no sign of their would-be teacher. Naruto had not moved one inch from his spot under the tall spruce tree. He just sat there; Yoko snuggled deep into his lap. Both of them silent as Naruto's foul mood towards the thoughts that God had a plan behind his suffering being the main cause for the impromptu silence, but Yoko didn't mind. There were times for words, and times for actions. The subtlety of their embrace spoke much louder than any scream or shout could.

Sakura, on the other hand, was having more than one mental breakdown. The first one consisted of having nothing to do. This was a common outcome for any human being, no matter the gender, age or race, especially when there was nothing to do for three hours straight. She was, unfortunately, one of those types of people that once they were awake, they stayed awake all day long. It also didn't help that her feelings for her 'beloved' Sasuke kept her awake until one in the morning. The second was in the hopes of fighting off her boredom and madness she had tried to strike up a conversation with Sasuke, which she failed miserably at that. Her stubbornness also kicked in, and she would not allow herself to strike up a conversation with Naruto. Not that she would be able too. The way he sat there, emotions shifting across his face, was extremely creepy.

Then there was Sasuke. The young Uchiha took a similar page out of Naruto's book and found himself a place to sit after the first half hour passed. He also took another page from the book, as he continued to ignore the young woman as she was desperately trying to start a conversation. Sasuke's day before had not been a necessarily good one: getting up late, chased to school by fan-girls, having a late sensei, and not to mention the stone that had been in his sandal the whole time. Little bugger hurt like none other and that little stone had been the ruin of his whole day. In addition, Sasuke was also too stubborn for his own good, just as how Sakura was too stubborn to talk to Naruto after his bout of silence, to remove the stone from his shoe. If he were to do that, then that would show weakness, and weakness was something that had to be overcome. It was needless to say that the little rock sure had one difficult interrogation session after the team meeting.

At around eleven in the morning, a sound of a '_poof'_ echoed in the decent-sized clearing. Six pairs of eyes turned abruptly towards the announcing noise of their Jounin sensei. He stood there as if nothing was the matter, or that he had just left his team of new Genins figuratively to rot for the last three hours. He just nonchalantly approached the three with his orange book in hand and one hand in his pocket.

He came to a stop just away from the three, taking some time to scrutinize why one of the Haimaru Triplets was there, but quickly dismissed the thought for another time, shut his book and held it at his side. The unexplained company of one of the Haimaru Triplets did not stop his dissecting stare from examining each of the three Genin. Each Genin were, as they should be, irritated, half-starved, half-awake, and angry as all hell. That was good; those tedious and consuming emotions would impair their fighting abilities, rational thinking, scheming, and overall capabilities when it came to this assignment.

"You're late…," Naruto said in a calm voice, something that surprised the Cyclops. Naruto was always the loud one, so for him to speak calmly either meant that he was sleepy or extremely angry, though neither outcome bared any relevance.

"A Shinobi is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to," Kakashi drawled out as a comeback.

Naruto, as well as the other Genin, just gazed at the tardy Jounin with a mixture of disgust and spite. "Yeah, and commando bunnies are after my hair…"

Now, it was the others' turn to look at Naruto in a questioning way. What was with Naruto saying things about animals and strange events? Now, it was rabbits trying to harvest his hair. What was up with that? Did he have some type of bestiality fetish or something?

"You're a little sick in the head, aren't you?" asked the gray-haired man, that one eye searching and ridiculing him, as many others did on a daily basis.

"No, not anymore than some of the people who are in this village," Naruto replied in defiance.

More seconds passed, until Kakashi '_hmphed'_ and focused his attention on more noteworthy people in his opinion.With a sweep, a rather lethargic sweep at that, of his hand, Hatake Kakashi beckoned the Genin to follow him as he made his way across the training grounds and towards three erected wood logs. Sasuke was the first to fall in behind him, with Sakura close behind, the infatuation so strong that it was almost pliable. Naruto, though, was a little slower on the up take.

Yoko retreated within her 'cage', her mood suddenly turning foul once the gray-haired man entered the scene. A part of the young blonde deciphered that the reason that her mood changed so badly was because Naruto now had to go to work, but something else lurked underneath. It was something that Naruto would akin to…to complete and utter distain and malevolence. He, himself, did not hold a high regard for the man with one eye, but his distrust and slight malcontent that he held was nothing compared to Yoko's feelings towards Hatake. Yoko was emanating a feeling that reminded him of whenever the young Haruno grew angry and threw one of her, Naruto decided to call it, 'fits.' Nevertheless, the feeling that Yoko was producing was something that scared Naruto. For if he were to envision Yoko, one of the most powerful beings in creation and head of the most lethal and cutthroat Archangel squads ever assembled, with the royal fury capable of one Haruno Sakura, a human that would occasionally make the young blonde fear for his future existence…

Oh.

Dear.

God.

Certainly, there was a reason behind this contempt for the man that would become Naruto's sensei, right? Naruto couldn't quite remember seeing the man before, although for some reason, a part of him said that he did, though for the life of him he could not recall.

Naruto then saw that the others were gaining ground away from him. Hurriedly, he sprang from his seated position and, with a quick nod to Nimaru and a mental caress to Yoko who had gone silent and still, went to catch up with his team. By now, they had come to a stop before the three wooden logs as Kakashi was waiting to begin his instructions on the oncoming test.

Kakashi indeed looked like he was ready to go. With his three new 'students' before him, and with an air of haughty boredom, Kakashi began to lay out the stage. Before he started his monologue on the inner mechanisms of the test, he first took out a small green alarm clock. It was a normal and ordinary clock, with a white, slick time-face and two small golden bells on the top of its head. Once the Genin got a good and analytical glance at the clock, the eccentric Jounin instructor moved, once again, away from his team and placed the clock on a large and glossy onyx monument, located a little more than ten meters from the three wooden training logs.

"The test will end when this clock goes off at noon," Kakashi explained, as he made his way back to his students. "The basis of this test is to," it was then that he reached into his vest before taking out two small silver bells, "capture these two bells. The two that do this will become official Genin of Konohagakure." He ended with a strange smile. At best, it was a crinkling of his lone eye but the three Genin received the message easily.

However, before Kakashi could signal the three Genin to begin the test, Sakura interjected, "But sensei, there are only two bells and three of us. What happens to the one that does not steal a bell?"

The 'eye smile' returned with a vengeance, "Oh, how rude of me. Anyone who does not receive a bell from me will be sent back to the Academy to retake their last year."

With that one statement, the resolve of the Genins solidified like granite. They thought the risks would not be that high, but then again, Kakashi did mention that it was like a preliminary to a sporting event, and the one team that did not make it, usually did not make it to the next tier of the competition.

"Also, if you wish to get one of these bells," Kakashi said, interrupting the young adults from their inner revelation, as he strapped the small silver bells to his belt, "you're going to have to strike to kill…"

If their resolve was like granite before, now it was like folded steel, steel reserved for blades, or for armor. If a Jounin instructor was signaling for lethal force, than that could only mean one thing: that the incoming training session/battle was going to be one that would need that level of combat.

Naruto, for his part, couldn't help but snicker just a little at that comment. He was still slightly angered from that last statement from Yoko. Therefore, getting to fight all out might cool his head down just a bit. He knew he needed it. "So, all we have to do is go all out? Keh, this is going to be too easy. Sure you haven't gone a little senile in your old age?" Naruto couldn't help having a small section of Inuyasha's dialect slip into his speech as he spoke.

Kakashi regarded what Naruto said as Sakura tried to reprimand him for his disrespect. _This boy…_Kakashi thought to himself as he let a feral grin spread under his mask. Yes, this boy would get what he deserved. "Well, as a piece of advice… it's usually the retards like you that fail…"

After his comment, something deep inside of Naruto snapped as he reached a boiling point and a fierce growl exploded past his lips. Without thinking, Naruto rushed towards the Cyclops, the emotions from Yoko's prior 'speech,' and the new evil emotions from what Hatake said burning in his mind. He dashed from between Sasuke, who just looked on, and Sakura, who shrieked indignantly at his actions. Naruto's true intention was to wipe the smug grin from underneath his facemask off with a slice from his kunai.

The strange thing was that, in the next instance, Naruto found himself face down on the ground, quite literally eating dirt. One moment, he was planning to tear his new sensei a new one, and the next, his arms were pulled far behind his back, painfully, he might add, and his body was crushed against the uneven gravel of the training ground. Tilting his head as best he could, Naruto gazed up at the two shocked and stunned faces of his fellow cellmates and the superior face of his sensei.

That look that was within the older man's eyes caused Naruto to feel a horrible, mind-consuming distain for the man. Naruto had seen that look somewhere before, somewhere in the past, but he just couldn't place his finger on where or when. It was a look of contempt, but not just any contempt. Naruto could deal with most contempt with the utmost of ease. This contempt, on the other hand, was not mindless, like some of the villagers or the like, but it had a deep-rooted hatred in it. Not just of recent events, but this hatred seemed to stem far back, farther than the birth of Naruto or any of the nearby Genin. Only one question wandered through the young blonde's mind as he saw this type of content: why?

"Well, at least one of you seems to be taking me seriously," Kakashi drawled out as he removed his foot from in-between the shoulder blades of the young Uzumaki.

Naruto sat up as best he could, especially since he almost had his arms torn from their sockets. Luckily for him, even in her tide of deep and seething hatred, Yoko had already started mending the stretched and torn tendons, muscles, and soothing the pain.

"**This man is dangerous,"** Yoko whispered into his ear, **"so be extra careful Naru-kun, I don't want you to get too injured."**

Yoko ran her warm palm up his back to sooth him. Naruto sighed at her touch, something he was doing far too often for his liking, and silently promised, as best he could, that he would not lose his cool like that during this test. He returned to his feet and faced the scarecrow, with both Sakura and Sasuke flanking him on either side. Kakashi gazed at them for a few more moments, his eyes searching them lazily before giving an 'eye-smile' and lifting his hand, before one word left from his lips as if it were booming:

"Begin."

With his word that promised to bring a future of pain, the three students scattered in an instance.

XxXxX with Naruto on the far end of the field XxXxX

It was against Naruto's inner core, his inner mindset, to, in a sense, run from someone that disrespected him in such a way. Well, it actually wasn't until his second year of his Academy life before he started fighting back against those that belittled or mocked him. He never fought back physically, instead he opted for annoyance and badgering. He found that annoying an offender until the person lost their cool and left was better than inflicting violence on another person; Naruto had been on the receiving end of so much senseless violence that he could never force himself to inflict it on people without due cause or reason.

Part of him wanted to face off against the masked man head-on instead of waiting and plotting, seeing as how he always worked better on the fly, but he promised Yoko that he would not lose his cool, and instead decided to think things through. So there he sat, within the dense shrubbery and foliage, 'patiently' waiting and observing his 'prey.' At that moment, Kakashi was just standing within the clearing of the training ground, reading that orange-bound book. Naruto made a mental note to see what was so great about that book; now there was a total of three people that he had seen with the book: Kakashi, the elder Sarutobi, and Kitenhime, as much as she tried to hide the fact that she had been reading it.

Speaking of Kitenhime, she sat securely around his neck without a care in the world. Well, besides the fact that earlier she had met the dirt more harshly than Naruto did when he was introduced to the ground minutes before, but with her iron-like hide, Naruto presumed that she easily escaped damage. That reminded the young Uzumaki of his other companion, Nimaru, and swiveled his head, just slightly, so he did not reveal his location to the scarecrow, to see how the gray and white hound was doing. Nimaru was still sitting under the same tree that Naruto sat under when he first got to the training ground. If it weren't for the subtle rise and fall of the dog's stomach and chest regions, Naruto would have surmised that the canine was dead.

However, this waiting and observing was starting to get to him, and it had only been about five or so minutes.

It was then, that a thought occurred to him. This man was, in fact, a Jounin ranked Shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato. In his battle with Mizuki—Naruto gritted his teeth painfully, digging his nails into the dirt underneath his body as he willed himself to reflect on the memory of his first battle to the death. In his battle with Mizuki, Naruto was no match for the Chunin and defeated, badly. As much as he wished to say that he was the one that won, it was not in fact correct. Mizuki, even when Naruto had the power of Inuyasha, thanks to the watch, Mizuki still thrashed the young blonde and had, for lack of a better term, killed the Uzumaki. Even if Naruto still could not remember the details of the battle with clarity, Yoko was the one who defeated the crazed man.

Moreover, if he waded through the clouded memories correctly, Naruto recalled that five heroines defeated Mizuki. Wait! Five…against one… It took five Heroines against Mizuki in order to defeat him…

Slowly, as time ticked on within the training ground, the pieces of Naruto's, and his team's, predicament began to slip into place. Even with Naruto's mediocre respect for his own abilities, he understood that he, himself, would have no hope of defeating this scarecrow. He also knew that Sasuke was the top of the graduating class for projectile weapons and hand-to-hand combat, as well as some rather advanced Shinobi Ninjutsu. Yet, Naruto knew, as he lay there face down within the foliage of the training ground's surrounding forest, that if Sasuke were to fight against Kakashi in a head-on battle that the last loyal Uchiha would fail, badly. Well, on one hand that would be a good thing for Sasuke for he would finally learn that he had limits to his abilities, but that would also mean that he would fail. Sakura, with her intelligence and spectacular grades, could do close to nothing to the seasoned warrior besides giving him one of the longest history lessons he ever had the discomfort of sitting through.

Then, how could any of them even hope to attain a small silver bell?

Naruto shifted slightly in his downed position to become more comfortable in his observing. As he did so, he heard the sound of crinkling paper and tensed, thinking that Kakashi heard him. It did not seem that the one-eyed scarecrow had, in fact, he only saw that the man continued to read his book. Slowly and cautiously, Naruto retrieved the source of the noise from his rear pocket. It was the essay on working as a team to defeat an overwhelming opponent.

That was it! Working as a team in order to get the two bells from Kakashi was what they needed to succeed. Naruto nearly jumped for joy at the thought. Yoko was of a similar thought as she caressed his cheek as a reward for a job well done. He smirked into her hand and made his way out of the foliage where he lay hidden. Stealthily, Naruto sprang into the canopy of the nearby trees and set his sights on finding, and hopefully, convincing, his teammates to help in the retrieval of the bells.

Sakura was probably going to be the easiest, if only, member of his team that he would be able to convince to join him in a joint front. All he would have to do was sprinkle some hints about how 'impressed' Sasuke would be by her performance, and that would seal the deal. Sure, it was an underhanded tactic of using her weakness of Sasuke, but if it was going to help them all pass, then he would gladly do such an act.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was going to be a little more difficult to persuade on the subject, if not impossibly so. Naruto had, on many occasions, tried to interact with the Uchiha, whether it was playing on the playground, sharing a book, asking a question on a homework assignment, or asking if he wanted to eat lunch with him. However, on all accounts, the heir to the Uchiha clan either would curtly or rudely say 'No'. After a while, Naruto gave up on the quest of opening up to Sasuke, opting for 'pleasant' banter and insult competitions instead.

Yet part of Naruto, the part that conceived the possibility that he and his team would somehow succeed in obtaining the two shiny bells, worried on what would happen once the three of them retrieved the bells. Who would get the bells, and who wouldn't? Naruto continued to contemplate this as he scurried from one branch to another in his search. The thing was; he could not ask either Sasuke or Sakura to give their bell up. One would pull the 'elite' card, while the other would complain and give a 'legitimate' reason as to why she deserved to stay in the Shinobi program.

Naruto scowled at the thought of the future reactions and reasoning of his cellmates. He quickly placed his thoughts of judgment aside when he heard a scream. It was Sakura, he was sure of it. That only meant one thing: that Kakashi got to her before he was able to get to her. Naruto gritted his teeth and stepped up his search efforts thrice fold. If something happened to Sakura, his plan of reinforcements would be for nothing. Not to mention, he still did not want harm to come to her. Sure, she could be mean and harsh as the next person, but that did not warrant her being hurt. Naruto picked up his pace when no other sound shattered, or harmed, the crisp air.

Naruto came upon the unmoving form of Sakura minutes later. She lay on the ground in a heap, seeming to have fallen out of a tree; judging by the scarred earth, foaming at the mouth, and bruising on her skull were any indications. Naruto approached her with fear, as he thought that she was dead at first, but calmed himself when he saw her face shift with each passing second. It was as if she was sleeping and succumbing to a nightmare.

"Well," Naruto began as he crouched next to the young Haruno, checking to make sure that she was indeed breathing, "that's one idea down…"

"**But you still have one to go…"** Yoko chimed in calmly.

"True," he grunted as he lifted Haruno. She was light, sickly light, if Naruto were to label the type of lightness. As he laid Sakura up against the tree that she allegedly fell from, Naruto continued his discussion with his mate, "But it would be better if she was able to help too."

"**True, but beggars cannot be choosers." **

Naruto both growled and smirked at her smart-alecky reply. "I take it that whenever I'm going to whine, you're going to have some sort of wisdom for me, aren't you?"

Her breath tickled his ear, and quickened his heart as she replied, **"But of course. You still have much to learn when it comes to the vastness of this world."**

Naruto growled again at her smart comment, only for her to giggle and nuzzle his cheek in return. Seriously, first, it was Yoko with her thorough displays and confessions of affection, then it was the instance when Ayame used him as a wash cloth for her tears, Hinata in her concern, and finally the four seasoned kunoichi; what was it with women when it came to him?

Again, placing those thoughts aside, Naruto began debating about what to do with the girl before him. On one hand, he could wait for the young Haruno to wake from whatever it was that she was currently doing, and hope to God that she would agree to his plan. On the other hand, Naruto could make sure that she was safe and head out to find Sasuke and try persuading the Uchiha to join him in combat. It was a truly difficult decision. If he chose the latter, he would risk the chance to recruit Sasuke for his plan, while at the same time risking the ridicule of Sakura and her 'wrath'. Nevertheless, if he chose to chase after Sasuke, he would lose the chance, how little it may be, to get Sakura to help. It was truly a difficult decision indeed.

The debate waged in his mind like an epic battle of titans. It was a gamble, something that Naruto was never privy to, no matter how unnaturally lucky he was. Therefore, gritting his teeth all the while, Naruto left the unconscious Haruno leaning against the base of a tree and set out to recruit the last surviving Uchiha. Part of Naruto regretted thinking up the idea of attempting to recruit Sasuke, but if he had any hope of gaining one of the tiny bells, he would need as much help as he could get.

The search of the broody and anti-social Uchiha ended sooner than Naruto had originally intended. At first, he thought that the Uchiha would have been utilizing his 'Rookie of the Year' status when it came to stealth, hiding in plain sight or even hiding within hiding (a strange and almost impossible act but knowing the 'Rookie of the Year' that he was, he would probably be able to pull off such a feat). However, Naruto found the great and powerful Uchiha Sasuke neck deep in the earth and out cold.

Naruto took several minutes to process what exactly happened to the last Uchiha. Was he truly buried up to his neck? Yeah, it looked that way from Naruto's position, as he stood next to the downed teen. Was Sasuke dead to the world and oblivious to what was happening to him in the real world? Most likely he was. Could one of the greatest and most feared pranksters in the history of Konoha easily take advantage of this situation and use it to its fullest as only few could? Oh yes, yes indeed.

Oh, the thoughts parading around inside Naruto's skull were something to view. They were like a choir of bunny dressed girls singing in perfect harmony to a score only described as epic rock. They hopped, bobbed and danced to a beat all of their own, all the while showing off their uncanny flexibility, grace, and beauty. It was a wonderful thing to look upon, if you were fortunate enough to see it. If Naruto, himself, were there to view their heavenly performance, he would mostly likely recognize each of the girl's Angelic faces and divine forms. Yet, the glorious ideas and thoughts would not come to fruition, due to the fact that all the tools needed to make this prime moment was a moment of the ages were currently hidden somewhere in his new apartment; most likely hidden in boxes yet unpacked and meticulously stored away.

Sighing wistfully and cursing his luck, for both the lost opportunity as well as an ally to obtain the silver bells, Naruto began digging the Uchiha from his impromptu grave. All the while, as Naruto huffed, puffed and dug the Uchiha from his hole, Naruto couldn't help but wonder why he didn't just leave the cruel and inconsiderate human being in the hole. Though he knew the answer to his own quandary; if he were stuck in such a predicament, he would want someone to dig him out and send him on his way. It still went without saying, however, that the likeliness of that actually happening would be close to zero. It didn't matter though, Naruto told himself as he lifted Sasuke's unconscious body from the pit. All that mattered, even if the Uchiha heir did not care for him on any level, was that Sasuke was not overly injured or harmed, no matter how much Naruto disliked him.

Yoko smiled once again from within her realm. She just couldn't get enough of the man that was Naruto. He was kind, even against diversity. He was considerate, even when he didn't know he was. He was…Naruto. It was as if with each passing moment that she was conscious with him, some new event caused her love and affection for him to grow more and more powerful. She almost growled in annoyance at how deeply she was falling for him, but not just her; Yoko could feel the auras of the women around him, as they too slowly began to fall. It was subtle, the stumbling over a stone, but they were falling, one by one.

Some had fallen, just like that one girl who fell into a world of dreams following the white rabbit. Yet others were just on the lip, peering into its depths and wondering what lay on the shelves and desks of the tunnels walls and what secrets would be unveiled if they drank the elixir and went through the small door. Yoko smirked to herself, for she knew what was beyond the door. She knew the world that awaited the others when they chose to enter his world. She just wondered when they would choose to fall down the never-ending hole, or when they would use the key upon the table to open the door hidden behind the curtain.

The young cherry blossom truly lucked out, Yoko thought sadly though. She disregarded the sapphire that was Naruto, just because he lay within a shell of chipped stone. If Yoko could have an opportunity to talk to the Haruno, she would utter one term: "all that glitters is not gold"; for the gold that she was chasing after was going to either get her killed or worse.

Naruto placed Sasuke against a tree, similar to what he did to Sakura. He wondered if it actually was a good plan; just to leave the two of them unconscious and defenseless, but he couldn't think of a way to look after them without sacrificing mobility and time. It was then, in a moment of regressed stupidity, that Naruto remembered his newfound technique. Crossing his two set of fingers before his breast, Naruto invoked one of the best things that he learned by himself.

"**Art of the Shadow Doppelganger."**

By the magic that was Chakra, two other Naruto's appeared before the original black, red, and green dressed man. They looked from one to the other, than to their creator and commander. Quickly, for he was pressed for both time and ideas, the original Naruto laid out his orders and instructed the two doppelgangers to either drag or carry, which ever the doppelgangers preferred, Sasuke back to where Sakura was, and to monitor and protect them until they regained consciousness. The two doppelgangers nodded in understanding and set off to work. One of the doppelgangers quickly picked up the unconscious Uchiha, and with the other doppelganger sitting down on his haunches, deposited him on the other doppelganger's back. With part of their task complete, the two leapt up to the light canopy of the trees and headed east, back to the resting place of the unconscious Haruno. Nodding at his ingenuity, Naruto crept his way to the edge of the mildly dense forest, bent on observing his 'prey' for a few more minutes, before launching his own counter measures.

Making his way across the forest on foot, he dared not to take to the protective cover of the canopy in fear of being spotted by the senior shinobi and taken out, Naruto reflected on how his 'plan' had been crushed. It seemed as if Kakashi was thinking on a similar, albeit reversed, mindset as the Uzumaki. Kakashi had decided to find the other members of the soon to be team, and take them out one by one until all were incapacitated, thus making them all fail the test and forced to take their last graduating year at the Ninja Academy over again. It was a good plan, Naruto surmised as he continued to crawl across the ground on his belly, but why had the Jounin not gone after him, Naruto, first? He was by far the 'weakest' on the team, or was, until a few days ago, though he had yet to _thoroughly_ look into his new powers and master them, and compared to Sasuke, and dare he almost say Sakura, he was the most logical choice to go after first. Then, why did Kakashi go after the other two first and leave him all by his lonesome?

The only conclusion Naruto could come up with was that Kakashi was showing him that he _could_ take him out at anytime, he just chose not to. It seemed that Kakashi had known that he was going to go out and recruit the other members of his team in order to gain the bells, or hope to obtain the bells, and had purposefully taken out the other members. However, the order of how Sakura came first, then the Uchiha and it was puzzling Naruto. Naruto could only think that the reason for Sakura being 'taken' first was a show that Kakashi was just playing about, taking his time to take out the only female member first, before heading for the 'bigger fish'. Sasuke was a show of how effortlessly Kakashi could take out those that had slightly formidable skills.

Those that would look into Naruto's mind at this point would be wondering how he could be formulating such hypotheses, such thought out and thorough ideas. The answer was actually quite simple; Naruto had been on the receiving end of subtle, as well as blunt criticism, insults, forced shortcomings, and overall ridicule, so it was easy for Naruto to find such thoughts and ideas as these in places that normally would not hold them. In this instance though, his thoughts were sound and well backed, the interpretation was up for grabs. Maybe Kakashi was not doing these acts as a message for Naruto, but rather to fail them as the examination dictated, or maybe it was a message to Naruto to show him that he was indeed next, as well as to show him just how easily he could be picked off, if the Jounin so wished it.

Naruto stalled in his advance, just as he reached the edge of the clearing and gazed upon the stilled form of his new sensei, and began processing what was happening. Yoko was silent and Naruto guessed that the reason for it was for Naruto to succeed or fail by his own power, not by any help, thus displaying his own ingenuity and skill. Kakashi was currently playing with him, that much he knew for sure, no matter how foregone the thought seemed or farfetched; Naruto just knew that the scarecrow was. If that was so, then the man before him, if it truly was the correct man, and not just some type of illusion, knew _where_ he was, _what _he was thinking, and_ how _he was going to either succeed or fail. If that was true, then there was no current reason for him to lie here in the dirt and foliage, waste time, and observe.

Reigning in his fate, as much as he loathed to think of it that way, Naruto pushed himself up to his feet, and with a sigh, started his trek towards the clearing where 'Kakashi' stood waiting, his face securely hidden in his book. All Naruto could do as he walked towards the man before him was pray that he somehow made it out alive. However, as he came to a stop mere meters from the masked Jounin, he knew that one prayer was a wishful one.

XxXxX Minutes Prior XxXxX

Now this was going to be an interesting event. Kakashi had just finished off the young, albeit _quite_ egotistical and arrogant, Uchiha and was currently looking over his handy work.

At the beginning of the exam, Kakashi was surprised that Naruto would be the arrogant one, and attack head-on in a style all of his own, but Kakashi was yet another victim to the unsuspecting and number one maverick in all of Konohagakure no Sato. Instead, the blonde wonder disappeared into the forest and foliage just like his two teammates, surprisingly well, he might add. Because of his actions, Kakashi had to completely revise and edit his whole plan, not a difficult feat, but an annoying and tedious one nonetheless.

His new plan consisted of observing for the first part of the examination, to see if any of the greenhorns uncovered the true meaning behind the examination, and create a new plan via the observation. For the most part, the children were just sitting there watching him. A smart move, that is if he did not have a transformed shadow doppelgangers currently observing them as well. Once they made some type of suspicious moment, or if the clone suspected a revelation to the real meaning of the exam, then the doppelganger would then dispel themselves and relay the information directly back to him. Therefore, once the raven disguised doppelganger noticed Naruto's realization to the meaning of the exam, it headed off towards his other cohorts and the raven instantly relayed the information to the original, porn addicted, Jounin Sensei. With one quick replacement with his doppelganger looking over the 'sweet' fan girl, and having said doppelganger quickly take his place within the center of the field, Kakashi pulled off a flawless **Self Hell Creation Illusion**.An illusion that uses the person's worse fear and horror to send the person inflicted by it into a self-induced coma of said fear and horror, upon the petite pink-haired girl, thus leaving said girl a foaming, whimpering mess of an individual.

It was only luck that Kakashi was able to vacate the area just as the blonde-haired wonder made his way to where Sakura was Taking no time to observe the boy, since there would be plenty of time for that to come later, Kakashi made his way towards the rumored 'Rookie of the Year'. For Sasuke's merit, he was indeed a Rookie of the Year, he almost grasped a bell just by using some traps, well placed Taijutsu strikes, and the element of surprise, but those three ingredients placed together only impressed Kakashi slightly. Slightly impressive was something that Kakashi did not even take the time to put into his mission reports, so the 'Rookie of the Year' went down like a figurative sack of potatoes, neck deep in soil and earth. It was actually funny, if you think about it; the _top_ of both Genin shinobi skills, as well as a prodigy, brought _down_ to such a level. It was indeed laughable, or at least to Kakashi it was laughable.

However, this was when Naruto appeared on the scene; again. Kakashi was just able to conceal himself in time to observe the blonde-haired boy. It seemed that Naruto couldn't use the young Haruno and had set out in hopes of recruiting the Uchiha for his bell retrieving team. Kakashi grinned beneath his mask at the face that Naruto made upon noticing Sasuke's unconsciousness, a face of realizing his attempts were for naught and that his schemes would have no chance in succeeding. With no one else to turn to, Naruto would then have to come and face him himself, just as it should be.

There was one other thing that he had to deal with before the two of them could meet face to face. Disappearing from his concealed location amongst the trees, Kakashi bled into the forest. He erased his existence and, in creating three new shadow doppelgangers, stalked towards his new prey. They had concealed themselves admirably, as expected from shinobi of their caliber, but to an ex-Captain of a highly ranked ANBU squad such as himself, Kakashi found them rather easily. He sat, stood, and crouched meters away from his prey, observing them. These four men decided to retire from their rank of high-level ANBU members in order to protect this one child. While they were still no longer part of the collective militia that was Konoha's shinobi ranks, the Hokage would still hear them if any…_mistreatment_ were to arise towards Konoha's number one pariah. That only meant one thing; that those four men would not _see_ any mistreatment. Therefore, they couldn't report on any mistreatment, since they would not know of any mistreatment_;_ it was as easy as that.

It was then, that the scarecrow commenced the final part of his pre-performance preparations. As one great collective mind, the four Kakashi's pounced upon the four unsuspecting members of the Fox Corp. Each Kakashi, in great fluidity and expertise of quickness, gripped the respective face of Black Fox, White Fox, Blue Fox, or Yellow Fox, and revealed his most feared and powerful weapon that he had the privilege to possess. The, both blessed and cursed, Sharingan blared into existence mere inches from each of the four men's eyes. To the men, who had nearly forgotten the intensity of the gaze, the piercing stare, the mind numbing and consuming eyes, the black and red mixed eyes, eyes of a devil, caused them all to gasp in horror and fear, before they heard one single word before they left the world of the consciousness.

"Sleep…"

With that one word, this single syllable, each highly trained and seasoned ex-Shinobi went into the realm of sleep and unconsciousness. They fell like flies onto the harsh, and rather hard, ground of the forest with their better standing before their corpses, underneath his mask was a smug smile.

"Now," his voice was quite, cold like that of a man that was about to commit a sin in the presence of his peers yet near enough to his advisers and caretakers to make it so the sin was unnoticeable, "let's raise that curtain, shall we?"

XxXxX Back with Naruto XxXxX

"Hello Kakashi-sensei," Naruto finally broke the ice quietly, as he stood waiting for Kakashi to recognize his existence for the past three minutes.

The Kakashi before him tilted his head away from his book in order to answer the boy. "Kakashi will be here momentarily…"

Naruto, with a bewildered look on his face, continued to look at Kakashi, digesting what he had just said. What did he mean by 'Kakashi will be here momentarily'? It was as if Kakashi was speaking as if he was not the real one…

"Shadow doppelganger…" Naruto hissed out in understanding, so he was not the only one that understood and could perform such a technique. This could put a damper on things.

The doppelganger only nodded his head before returning to his book. A silence once again ensued between the two, leaving the two to their own devices; one contemplating the true power of his soon to be opponent, and the other reading on, as if nothing else mattered.

Naruto, for his part, had his mind processing information at nearly a mile a minute. If Kakashi were able to perform the **Art of the Shadow Doppelganger** just as he was, then that would mean his battle was going to be that much more difficult. If a high Jounin could multiply himself in a similar manner as he could, then Naruto concluded that he might in fact need to revert to his 'watch' sooner than he had originally expected.

"Seems that you're not as retarded as you first looked," drawled out a voice from the far end of the field, causing Naruto to look towards the source slowly. His steps were wide and sweeping, his frame slouched but tense; he looked as if he were about to spring forth and devour a small beast. His hands, tucked securely in his pockets, showed tight muscles rippling for action. However, what caught Naruto's attention the most was his face; it was stern, his one visible eye burning with something that Naruto could only akin to as determination.

"No," Naruto replied, the doppelganger behind him dispelling into a plume of smoke, but Naruto paid that no mind, "I'm still 'retarded'. I just know that I have no hope in defeating you…"

"Oh?" Kakashi's voice seethed from his lips as he came to a stop before the blonde, his shadow blotting out the sun, and sending Naruto into a world of darkness. "So, you're saying you have battle smarts?"

Something in the young man's mind was telling him to run away and never return, but he had to face this man. For if he ran, he could swear on his life that the masked man would find him…and kill him. "Not battle smarts, street smarts."

"Oh?"

"Yes."

"And how, quite tell, do those differ?"

A near smug grin made its way onto Naruto's face as he looked up into Kakashi's looming eye. "Even if I tried to explain this to you, you most likely wouldn't understand…" Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the snide remark. "I mean, how can you relate, what with your prestige, rank, background, and lifestyle, you could have no hope-"

'-of understanding what I understand' was going to finish the young man's sentence, if it was not for the fist that buried itself into Naruto's face. The force of the punch sent Naruto back into the small clearing of the training ground, skidding across the ground like some type of baggage or crate. Naruto, for his part, was both surprised as well as unsurprised by the older man's actions. Surprised that the man would 'commence' the 'training exercise' so quickly, and unsurprised that the man would perform such an act of aggression.

Sitting up as best as he could, Naruto pressed his thumb to his right nostril and, tilting his head slightly towards the left, all the while keeping one lone eye trained on the masked scarecrow, blew on his nose with all of his strength. A flurry of blood, excess mucus, and some bits of saliva came out of his left nostril, and onto the ground in the direction of Hatake Kakashi. Said man was standing in his original position, as if nothing had happened whatsoever; the only difference was that his right hand lay dormant at his side, drips and drops of blood and saliva falling periodically.

Naruto remained silent as he waited for Kakashi to enter some sort of justifying monologue about how Naruto was the great Demon incarnate, and how he was going to perform Konoha a great service by eliminating the threat to the village. However, as time ticked by, nothing came out of the masked scarecrow's mouth, and so nothing came out of the blonde container's mouth in return. Yoko began to instruct the young blonde in reconfiguring his broken nose, and Naruto did just that, placing his forefinger on one side of his broken nose, while his thumb rested on the opposite and cracked the bone and cartilage back into place, in the silent minutes between the two men.

Finally, it was the Hatake that stood before him in all of his lethargic glory and spite that broke the silence. "What? Not going to say anything? Not going to ask 'Why' or 'For what reason'?" his eye then crinkled upwards, a motion that Naruto could see even from seven meters away, "Fox got your tongue, boy?"

Everything in the field, in Naruto's very mind and being, stopped.

Time stopped.

His heart stopped.

The world stopped.

The breeze stopped.

The leaves in mid-fall stopped.

_Everything_ _stopped._

Naruto stood there, eyes wide in absolute _horror_. It was a horror that he only felt a few selective times in his life, one such time being against Mizuki, while another was the time that three men forced entry into his home and commenced in 'teaching' the young child, at the time, about the different bones, ligaments, and muscles of his upper torso. He took a step back from the scarecrow, only to fall flat on his rear.

There was no possible way that this man could be the same man. His mind just could not compute. However, there he was; his lone eye burned into his skull like a red-hot coal. That one eye truly struck Naruto with fear. He remembered it now, not only from his dream, but also from his nightly terrors. Naruto clearly remembered that lone eye gazing down at him, as he lay nailed to his kitchen table, that one eye which chased him into a dead end alleyway, flogged long into the night, as his heart bled, and his tears ran white with pain and sorrow.

He _remembered_.

"You," it was only a whisper as Naruto spoke it, but it carried across the clearing like a scream.

Kakashi's visible eye crinkled upwards with barely contained glee; if the boy had not remembered him, then all of the coming attractions would have lost their luster, but luckily, since the boy recalled his 'charm,' then all of his actions would hit home that much fiercely. He then placed his free hand under his chin in a thinking gesture, mindless of the blood and spittle that covered his knuckles, and ran his forefinger across his cheek slowly, deliberately.

"It looks like you kept my little_ gift_ of when we first met," he said, as he yet again dragged his sole forefinger across his cheek.

Naruto saw the deliberate action, and attentively touched his own cheek, in fear of an injury. All he felt, though, was his flesh, on injury. He felt his flesh, and his trademark whisker…marks…and everything started clicking into place.

"YOU!" Naruto bellowed in horror and rage. "You did this?" he raged on, his fist shaking at his sides in barely contained wrath and emotion. "You were the one to mark me like this?" at first, the young blonde had thought his 'whiskers' were some type of birthmark, and when the existence of Yoko came into play, he had subconsciously thought that the marks were due to her presence…but this…this changed everything, _again!_

His stomach churned and bubbled with a horrendous heat, a heat that could only belong to Yoko. It seemed that Yoko knew of this man, and all of his actions and deeds. A subconscious hand made its way to rest on his navel, against the waves of emotions and hatred that crashed against its fleshly barrier and barred cage. She was indeed angry, she had even forsaken her position at his shoulders, and her anger showed no signs of subsiding, as the uncomfortable sensation at his navel grew.

"You should listen when someone is _talking to you!_" came a voice from behind the blonde.

A bone-shaking blow made contact with Naruto's stomach, soothing the blistering heat with unimaginable pain. Naruto felt his stomach lurch, and before he knew it, he fell upon his hands and knees and emptied the contents of his stomach onto the ground of the clearing. He continued to cough and sputter as mucus and blood from his once broken nose mixed with his vomit as he began to cry and weep out of reflex, even as a presence circled his body predatorily. It seemed that the initial punch to his abdomen, which caused him to empty his stomach, was not quite complete in its job as Naruto once again heaved forth and vomited once again, and a third time after that.

The crunching of gravel and stones underfoot ended besides Naruto as he, in his disheveled and winded state, painfully looked to his left. Above him stood Kakashi, his lone eye boring into his skull, and Kakashi took great enjoyment at the tear-stained, snot-covered, vomit-soiled, and sniveling Uzumaki.

"I told you that you would throw up if you ate breakfast," Kakashi said, his voice counseling, even after his actions.

However, he was not done, as the Hatake delivered a devastating kick to Naruto's unprotected side, cracking two ribs and sending the young Uzumaki straight into a patch of thick trees. Naruto's flight and landing brought forth broken trees, kicked up dust, and pained moans. Now this was what Kakashi had been waiting for all these years, a face-to-face confrontation of pain and revelation and he was going to get his fill. In the past, the aspiring Jounin would get a taste here and there, with the help of some simple-minded civilians and drunken has-beens, but this was what Kakashi thirsted for, and it felt exceptionally good.

"—**Pistol!"**

Before Kakashi could react, a fist contacted with the exact center of his face, _from twenty meters away!_ He reeled backwards in pain, cursing all the while, and clutching his bloodied nose in rage. He turned his eye heatedly towards the plume of dust, only to find a man, who was clearly _not_ Naruto, barreling towards him. His hair was jet black, and just as sporadic as the original Naruto's, but that was the only resemblance that the man had to Naruto as his cheeks were smooth, save for a sole crescent-like scar underneath his left eye. His arms and legs were lithe and sleek, yet contained well fleshed out muscles; his clothing consisted of a red sleeveless button down-shirt with cut-off jeans for his pants, and around his neck was the strap that held his straw-hat close to his person.

Kakashi readied himself as the straw-hat man neared him, but when the man was still several meters away, he stopped and set his left foot down, hard like a hammer.

"**Gum-Gum Whip!" **the man bellowed out and, using his left foot like a pivot joint, swung his right leg out, as if kicking an imaginary opponent.

This caught Kakashi off guard once again, as the man's leg extended and rammed into the two lowest left ribs. His eyes nearly popped out of his skull at the leg connected, his ribs creaking under the strain, and he flew across the clearing just as his prior victim was a few minutes ago. However, Kakashi had no time to recover because the straw-hat man was upon him in a flash, fists blazing forth as if they were shots from a cannon. His punches were something that Kakashi never witnessed before; there was no rhythm or reason to the punches and thrown just willy-nilly, and in such a way that Kakashi was having problems mentally predicting them. One moment, he thought and predicted that the straw-hat man would throw a left hook, only for him to kick him with a right kick to his stomach.

A growl made its way out of Kakashi's throat as another fist grazed his temple. It was now Kakashi's turn he surmised, as he dealt a blow to the unknown man with a quick mule kick to the man's abdomen. All he was hoping for was a moment to assess the situation and process the strange abilities that this man before him had. One thing was for sure, this man was _not Naruto_. Naruto did not contain such an abili—

Two hands gripped both of Kakashi's shoulders, as Kakashi had to stop his revelry. His mind began to process, in what little time before the inevitable pain came, the information that this man was unconsciously giving hi—

"—**Rocket!"**

Two feet collided with Kakashi's chest; knocking the wind out of him and crack even more ribs by the force of the attack. Reeling back again, something that Kakashi was _truly_ becoming aggravated with, he grasped his chest in both pain and shock as he suffered the lack of air that was forced out of his body. An enraged growl ripped his lips in two, especially since it was a long time since he felt such rage fueled by frustration, and because of his quaking emotions, Kakashi tore his forehead protector up to, hopefully, gain an upper hand in the battle.

He was sadly mistaken in that thought for, even with his 'future sight', Kakashi was still unable to predict where and when the fists, or feet, were going to land. As he bobbed and weaved, hoping to either deflect the blows, or dodge them all together; Kakashi came to the conclusion that the only reason he was unable to predict his 'opponent's' attacks was because the attacks contained no Chakra what so ever, and by association, neither did this newcomer.

Now, Kakashi's inkling of this man not being Naruto was correct, because _every_ being contained Chakra, it was the figurative 'lifeblood' of every individual, and this person apparently did not have any. It was because every living person contained Chakra that the Sharingan could predict future movement. The Sharingan, like the Byakugan, could 'see', or more precisely, track the aura of Chakra and was able to predict where a person was going to move because, coupled with the enhanced heightened ability of perception, often mistaken as 'slowing down time', the ability to track an aura would allow the possessor to perfectly predict a person's movements.

Suddenly the man was in front of his person, crouched low to the ground, in order to break past his guard. It seemed that Kakashi's mental musing once again allowed this straw-hat man somehow slip pass his years of forcefully forged defenses and intuition. What he saw next nearly caused his mind to implode upon itself at the improbability of the action in question.

The straw-hat man's arms stretched out behind him kept stretching and _stretching_. It had long passed a human's threshold of its farthest possible length, and now reached pass three, now four, and even past _five meters_ in total length, finally ending at about ten meters. This was impossible! Whoever this man was before him was clearly not human.

"Who are you?" Kakashi barked out in disbelief and rage, his muscles frozen in place due to the impossible information taken in by his all-seeing eye.

The black-haired man smirked as he watched the scarecrow's eyes show both disbelief and anger. It felt so good to let loose his anger, as well as inflict some pain onto someone that _truly deserved _it. "_My_ name _now_is Monkey D. Luffy, and _I_ am _your_ ender!

"**Gum-Gum Bazooka!**"

The two outstretched arms shot forward towards Kakashi at a speed that could easily crush stone. He had to think fast, faster than recently before. However, the two opened palms were upon him, and a deafening _'crack'_ resounded around the clearing, echoing into the clear sky and the surrounding forest. Luffy looked at his handy work with glee. The sound was only an announcement at the prospect of the bones he just shattered, and Luffy could not wait to see the expression of pain on the Jounin's face, an expression that Kakashi took much joy in viewing on Luffy's face, when he went and taught him anatomy.

However, what Luffy found shocked him immensely. What he just crushed was not a human torso, but rather a wooden log about a foot and a half long and a half-foot wide. Luffy quickly processed the information as a successful **Body Replacement**, a quick and seamless escape for any Shinobi, either veteran or greenhorn, preformed by the scarecrow. Now that just grated on his nerves, for the first time in…_forever_. Luffy was actually able to release some of his aggression and bottled up emotions consciously. Some might say that he had an equal opportunity when he fought Mizuki, but that was more a spur of the moment event, rather than a fueled bout.

Luffy quickly set forth to find his target, and to teach said target that he was no longer going to take anymore of this pussyfooting around, when he found him standing simply at the far end of the clearing with a look of pure distain, and an air of being fed up, just as much as Luffy was.

Kakashi, in all of his frustration and spite, spoke first before Luffy could make some type of movement or comment. "No more playing around," he seethed from between clenched teeth.

Luffy smirked arrogantly at the comment, "My sentiments exactly." He clenched his fist painfully and reared it back in order to send it straight into his opponent's 'kisser', "**Gum-Gum Pi—"**

Pain erupted from his clenched fist and his body reeled back, albeit slightly, at a sudden change in momentum, followed by the sound of flesh striking against wood. Luffy knew what happened; he knew that his hand literally tacked to the tree that was fifteen meters behind him by a slim kunai, like some piece of paper tacked to a corkboard by a staple. He disregarded it as a mere setback, and went to plunge his left fist down the scarecrow's throat; his opportunity to exact 'revenge' was too close to let slip away.

"**Gum-Gum –"**

His left hand soon joined his right by an equally painful process, tacked to the tree like a fleshy poster. However, with his 'revenge' so close to Luffy, he could not possibly let it slip from his grasp. His mind was telling him to stop, to stop this foolish plight towards emotional release, but it was consuming him. It was as if he needed this, this enchainment of emotion. As he was delivering those punches and kicks towards that faceless man, he felt so strange; it felt so much like his soul was _flying_. It was as if his soul had broken from his mortal shell, and it felt as if it was as it should be, free and weightless.

He needed this, he _needed this. _He roared out, his teeth clenched so it sounded more like a muffled growl, as he readied his foot, his right-sandaled foot, to destroy Kakashi's face. He ignored his pierced hands, his butchered appendages, hell bent on inflicting justice.

He swung his right leg with all his might, **"Gum-Gum Sta—"**

He lost his leg to the tree once again. Now, desperation was beginning to set in. _just one last hit_, he kept telling himself, _just one last smash to the face._ That was all he needed, just one last strike to the face. No, not just his face but maybe his chest, yes his chest, just as he butchered Luffy's chest that one night. Yes, that would be perfect, or maybe his gullet, yes that would be nice to see, having Kakashi's wind knocked out of him so he felt as vulnerable as a wet kitten, or maybe the legs, or the arms, maybe the groin…or maybe…

Now he did roar in rage. He felt enraged. He felt like his chances were slipping away from him, his one chance finally to show those that wished to take from him without looking back. No, he _needed this!_

"You will not take this from me! **Gum-Gum Sta—"**

Silence met him in a cold reply as his left foot, the final appendage that was free to bring down justice, who rose to attack Kakashi's midsection, joined the other three appendages as the rubber-man sagged in his makeshift cage. Luffy then fell to his knees with a pitiful wail. It was so close to his goal. _He needed this!_

"I will take _everything _from you…"

Looking up, Luffy saw the towering figure of his enemy. Suddenly, Kakashi hit Luffy, _hard,_ in his defenseless chest. The tension collected within his arms and legs set his body rocketing towards the decent sized tree at the edge of the clearing; the same tree that had become the impromptu bulletin board for his hands and feet. Luffy's back cracked against its bark, spittle and saliva spraying forth from his mouth, accompanied by a choked cough. The fact that he was technically a rubber man helped prevent Luffy from having a concussion, but the dull throb that shook his entire body still caused him to groan in insurmountable pain.

Luffy tried raising his eyes and head, in order to glare at his opponent, but the fist that slammed against his cheek forced his head down at an angle. Rage, for the lost fight and for the thoughts of defeat, clouded his onyx eyes, and he glared at Kakashi's looming shadow from the corner of eye. A gloved hand tore into Luffy's hair, forcing his head up into the blinding sun and towards the next incoming fist. Throughout the clearing, a crack came through loud and clear as the back metal plate of the gloves dug a groove into the rubber man's cheek.

"Now_ listen!" _Kakashi seethed out. "Who are you? Who's your employer? **_Where is Uzumaki!_**_" _

"UP YOUR'S, ASSHOLE!" Luffy bellowed, spittle and blood were sent flying onto the Hatake face, "If you're that blind, than I don't have to say anyt-"

A blaring _'beep'_ sequence caused the two to become silent, and before he could curse loudly, A blood-red light engulfed Luffy, blinding Kakashi and causing him to curse out loud. What came into view when Kakashi finally regained his sight was a bloodied and heaving form of a pinned Uzumaki Naruto. The next thing that Kakashi noticed, much to his delight due to his stolen Sharingan, was that this was the Uzumaki. The Sharingan was never wrong, and it showed the boy's chakra as clear as day, meaning that this boy before him, whimpering in pain due to the difference in size between the straw-hat man and Uzumaki. Furthermore, in seeing the pain and new wounds due to the repositioning kunai, helped Kakashi verify that Naruto was in fact the straw-hat man. Now then, this raised new questions about the blonde's **Transformation**, especially since it went against the basic principles of the technique's purpose.

With a grin, assisted by _two_ crinkled eyes, one black and one deep red, Kakashi came within an inch of Naruto's face; hair was once again in Kakashi's iron grip. "Welcome back, Uzumaki." He then proceeded to belt Naruto across the face with the back of his hand, taking special care to use the _back _of his hand, so that the back protective plate would strike against the boy's flesh, and cause a severe bruise.

"You will now _listen to me…"_ Kakashi hissed as Naruto groaned through the pain, the high from his 'release,' bringing him almost painfully back down to earth.

"I'm not going to listen to you rant about how _I'm_ the Kyuubi…"

Kakashi's laughter nearly caused the man to rip out most of Naruto's golden locks. "You? The Kyuubi?" his laughter doubled to the point that he let go of the blonde's hair, and threw his head back, laughing to the heavens.

His laughter lasted for some time before Kakashi dealt a swift knee into the boy's stomach. "You are _not_ the Kyuubi. Now _listen!"_ Kakashi said with another backhand to the face in order to shut the boy up.

"I'm not like those mindless villagers. I can tell the difference between a glass and its water. No, you see, I dislike you for a completely _different_ reason. But for you to understand, you're going to have to listen to a nice _story…_

"My father…he was an honorable man and migrated from the Land of Iron with my mother and came to Konoha, and quickly became a Shinobi. It took him only a short while to rise through the ranks as a Shinobi until he was considered on par to the great Sannin," he then gripped Naruto's hair once again, forcing his eyes onto his own, "But that was when my tale took a turn for the worst. For you see, my father grew up with bushido bred into him from birth, same for my mother, so when he forsook his mission to save a comrade's life, … he saw that he tarnished his honor and so… he took the _Samurai_ initiative…"

Naruto knew what that meant. If a Samurai dishonored himself, they would then cleanse themselves, and their ancestors, by performing seppuku, or ritualistic suicide.

"That's right," Kakashi laughed out, seeing the realization in Naruto's half-lidded eyes, slashed cheeks, and split lips. Kakashi noticed that the Kyuubi was 'taking the initiative' and began healing its containers wounds; that would mean that the boy could take more that was coming to him. "My 'dear old dad' decided to _kill_ himself in order to 'atone' for his _sins!_ Funniest thing was that my mother thought my father's actions disgraced her and _also _decided to commit seppuku!" by this point, the scarecrow was laughing, as well as shouting, at the crucified blonde.

"What does this have to do with m—"a fist across his face silenced Naruto before he could continue.

"_I said listen!_ And you will learn," Kakashi hissed again, enraged that the boy decided to interrupt him once again.

Taking some seconds to recompose himself, Kakashi continued, taking hold of Naruto's skull so that the boy's attention would not falter; "Now then, my parents died all thanks to their _honor_. I had no one to take care of me, look after me, or _love me._"

Kakashi seemed to lose himself for a moment, lost in memories of loneliness and emotional loss. Naruto resisted the urge to scoff at the emotions and inner thoughts that the older man was having. He wanted to shout out, "Now you know how I feel," or "Suck it up, I had it too" or, his all time favorite, "At least you _had_ someone that loved you, however short it was," but he held his tongue, knowing that he was in no position to talk back.

"This is where _you_ come in," Kakashi said, bringing Naruto's attention back to himself. "Now then, my sensei was a great man. He brought me into his home, into his _life_, and made me part of his family. He treated me as his own son, even though he was an orphan, and I had, once again, felt _loved._" His voice quivered slightly, and Naruto came to see the love that he held for this mystery man. It was staggering, and for a brief instant in time, Naruto saw a compassionate side to Kakashi, a more _human_ side to this man, who was currently using him as a living punching bag.

"This continued for several years; he was there when we all became Chunin, and then Jounin. He was there when my best friend, Obito, died and gave me my Sharingan," he said, pointing towards his blood-red eye, thus making Naruto's eyes nearly pop out of his skull in fear and surprise, "so, my sensei was there as I mourned the death of my friend and brother. Then, he was there when my other teammate, Rin, died trying to revive an allied shinobi in the field. Nonetheless, my sensei was always there for me. Whenever I was lonely, he was there; whenever I needed help with something, he was there; whenever I needed advice, he was there, and he _loved me_!" Kakashi's two eyes were shining with such a scary light that Naruto tried backing away from the man, only to have his head yanked back to eye level with the crazed lunatic.

"But when everything was good in life, _she_ came along," his voice then became so frigid, so cold, cutthroat, and deadly, that chills and shakes overtook Naruto's body. It was to an extent that fear began to grip his heart, just as it had during the Mizuki incident. "It was slow. A comment here and there made me worry for my surrogate father. He would say 'Kushina said this' or 'Kushina said that'", Naruto's eyes snapped wide open at the mention of his mother's name, but what was the relevance to her name? Therefore, Naruto narrowed his eyes swiftly, to hide his shock from his residential madman captor, "but I could see. _I could see it_, the admiration and infatuation that he was starting to forge towards this woman. Then, he started bringing her around the apartment that we shared. I knew then that things were not going to end well for me. She was starting to _steal _him from me and then, one night Minato-sensei didn't come home," at the revealing of his father's name, Naruto nearly lost his eyes as they popped out of his skull. Kakashi took _great_ notice of this, and slammed the poor Uzumaki's skull against the tree,

"Ah, so you know," he stated cheerfully, "then listen _closely_… Minato didn't come home one night; I knew something was up. It didn't help when he did not show up at all the next day, not at the apartment, nor at _our _training ground, not at his office…nowhere. It was actually three days until he came back to _our_ apartment, ragged and worse for wear. I, originally, thought that some bitter Stone ninja attacked him, but what he said next made my _blood run cold_."

Naruto was scared for a few minutes as to where this was going. He had an idea, but that was all it was, an idea. Therefore, he continued to listen.

"'Kushina and I got married; you're going to have to move out.' …that was all he said: 'Kushina and I got married; you're going to have to move out.' I _begged_ and _pleaded_ to stay, but Minato-sensei said that he would have none of that. He said that it was time for me to _grow up and live on my own! What the hell does that mean?" _Kakashi felt himself about to fall into a rant and stepped away from the suffering blonde, and began to pace back and forth in order to regain his composure in order to continue his tale.

Naruto was beginning to hyperventilate. _My dad taught this man? _Naruto screamed to himself. _Then why the Hell is he on the verge of killing me? _

"So I moved out," Kakashi was a ways away from him, but he continued nonetheless knowing that he now had the boy by the nose ring, "it was against everything within me, but I moved out. Luckily for me, life continued as it always had between the two of us, just with me living in a completely new housing area and Minato-Sensei living with…_that woman…_but overall it was just as it had been. That is…until _something came up…_"

He rounded on Naruto faster then said boy had time to brace. With a right hook to his left cheek, Naruto was now on the verge of losing consciousness, but another backhand to the opposite side of his face brought him back from the brink. With a fiery blaze of unbridled emotion, Kakashi continued his tale, "Minato suddenly came up to me and told me _his wife was pregnant!"_ he was literally spitting now. It was a thing to see, a former ANBU Captain letting loose _all_ of his pent up emotions upon the 'source' of his ire; it was not a pretty thing to see, but a thing nonetheless. "The look in my Sensei's eyes, the look in my _father's_ eyes, was that he no longer needed me. He had someone else to love, to shower with affection.

"Oh, I tried to show him I was better than his soon-to-be son; I tried to show him how I was going to be stronger, faster, smarter, overall _better_! But no~. All he saw was somet_hing_ that was his own _flesh and blood_, something that was worth more than someone who had been with him, and proven himself _worthy_ of said emotion, ten times over. No, he didn't consider my rise to ANBU Captainship anything noteworthy, but the world of choosing the colors for the new babies room was!" another fist to the center of Naruto's face nearly knocked him out once again, but something kept him holding on, if only by the skin of his teeth.

"_You stole him from me! You stole my father from me!"_ Kakashi was now screaming, striking Naruto repeatedly, in the stomach, in the face, in the chest, in the groin. Kakashi began to unleash every ounce of emotion he had towards the boy, upon said boy. Just as Naruto began to lose himself when he had the upper hand, so did Kakashi lose himself to his emotions. He lost all forms of finesse and tact, and just began punching, kicking, and slicing without cause or manner.

Naruto was at the brink and past it. He never experienced anything like what he was experiencing right now. None of the past beatings or attacks even came close. However, what angered him more than anything was the fact that Kakashi seemed to know the exact moment before he was about to slip into blissful unconsciousness, and thus bring the battered and near dead boy back from the brink of unconsciousness, just to continue, for a lack of a better term, beating the living shit out of him.

Suddenly the punches, kicks, and knife acts ended, leaving a thoroughly bruised, broken, and bloodied Naruto hanging upon a tree. The sounds of panting, panting that was not his own, and the feeling of dull pulses of pain and agony were the only things telling Naruto that he was in fact still awake, though 'awake' was a very, _very_ loose term right now. Two bloodied hands tented the flesh around his temples, and Kakashi held Naruto's cracked skull for the one lone Sharingan eye to zero in on his own eyes.

"I _will_ make your life _Hell_ on this squad. I _will_ turn every one of your peers _against_ you. I _will_ make you feel _true_ despair. I _will_ let you gain things in life, and I _will_ _tear_ them away from you. _I will make you feel my pain and suffering_…and nothing you can do can stop me. The reason is quite simple actually. Who would believe the greenhorn Kyuubi container words against the words of a seasoned, respected former ANBU Captain who has a spotless record? _No one…_"

Naruto's head lulled towards the left, his lids at half-mast, but the look of horror and utmost distain and fear was shining like bright little diamonds for the scarecrow.

"Now," he said, setting the final act for his performance, his Sharingan spinning so wildly with glee, so much that one would think his eye would fly out of his skull and into flight, "Good Nightmare…"

Therefore, he began weaving an illusion so hideous, heinous, and terrifying that it was akin to a watered down, and bastardized, version of the Mangekyo Sharingan's **Tsukiyomi **illusion. What Kakashi planned to do to Naruto was to send him into such a state of shock, that he either broke under it and fell into true despair, or came to fear the scarecrow and hopefully commit suicide to ease his fear and torment, or have a heart attack and die on the spot. Those three were the best-case scena-

A roar of _pure_ soul-wrenching pain erupted from his mouth as the same_ pure_ soul-wrenching pain erupted on the left side of Kakashi's face, the side that held his prized Sharingan. His face felt as if it was on fire, burning and flaking off, as if scorched by some unforeseeable flame. He fell to his knees in agony, screaming out; his blood starting to seep from between his fingers. The pain only seemed to escalate when he removed his hand from the wound, as if the air itself was what was causing his turmoil and pain. His lone, non-Sharingan, eye tried burning holes into the now blissfully, and happily, unconscious Naruto, wishing to set his body ablaze with just his Killer Intent. In what seemed like hours to the masked scarecrow, the pain subsided to a dull throb, and Kakashi quickly took this time to examine the wound with the polished side of a wide kunai.

What he saw made his veteran blood run thick and cold with ice. Four lines, four lines ran from his ear to his chin, from his temple to the corner of his lip, from the corner of his eyebrow to the left nostril of his nose, and from the center of his eyebrows to his right nostril. All four lines went in a diagonal direction, as if they were all part of a single slash…like a sweep from a pair of _claws_.

His head snapped in the direction of the 'sleeping' Naruto and he would swear, until the day his soul fell into Hell; that his stolen Sharingan picked up a faint red mist encompassing the boy's body, wrapping around it like some sort of protective layer, like a scarf or shawl. Kakashi restrained himself from rushing the blonde and reinitiating the illusion. Instead, he focused on healing his torn flesh with a medical technique that he picked up from Rin when she was still alive, and brought his forehead protector down to give his used, and abused, Sharingan a well needed rest. With the prospect of Kyuubi now seemingly protecting the blonde, the thought of tampering with the boy's mind instantly went out the window. It seemed that, in this moment in time, tampering and altering the container's mind was out of the question, what with the Kyuubi currently 'patrolling' the 'borders'.

Then that damned alarm clock that Kakashi brought along with him went off, signaling the end of the test. Kakashi cursed loudly and vulgarly, as he still wanted to teach the boy a 'lesson'. Nevertheless, a thought came to the man as he looked at Naruto's _unconscious_ body. Grinning, he sauntered up to Naruto, tore him from the kunai pinning his body to the tree, not taking the time to withdraw the kunai from his body out, and headed towards the designated collection spot, Naruto's limp body cast over his shoulder like a corpse.

For the first time, Kakashi thanked the Kyuubi; quick healing could come in handy in some situations…

XxXxX Unknown time, Training Ground XxXxX

"Ugh…," no matter how many times he became unconscious in the past, no matter how many times he suffered from a concussion in his life, nor beaten halfway, literally or figuratively, to death; he never got use to it. How could you? No honestly, how could you get used to having your pain receptors used and abused repeatedly over the span of fourteen years?

"Oh look, it looks like the retard has finally woken up…," a snide remark from the blonde's right came up.

The first thing Naruto noticed was that the voice that just ridiculed him was actually the voice of one Uchiha Sasuke, and thankfully, not the voice of Hatake Kakashi. That would only mean that the test ended from when he lost consciousness. Naruto couldn't help but smile to himself at the thought of his loss of consciousness; even though he hated losing consciousness, when it came to situations like the one however long ago, he would happily succumb to the darkness in order to escape the pain.

Another voice blared into his ear from the left this time, nearly causing him to go deaf with ear bleeding intensity. "Yeah, thanks a _whole_ lot. Because of you, we don't get any lunch," Sakura said, sarcasm and spite laden in her tone. "Retard," She added as an afterthought.

The clouds were beginning to lift from his thought process, and Naruto's eyelids began losing their weights. He tried to turn his body in Sakura's direction, to both get a better view of her, as well as to ask her to verify why it was his fault for the suspension of their lunch, when another revelation became aware to the blonde. Someone had tied him to one of the training posts near the area that the team began their test. It also seemed that the ropes reached from the top of his shoulders to all the way down to his knees, ending just above his lower cargo pockets. His arms were restrained, and his breathing was limited due to the ropes, but he was happy it was just ropes doing the restraining; last time something like this had happened, the incident taking place around his tenth birthday, the captors decided to use fine wire in place of rope. Luckily, the cuts inflicted by the wires were so thin and small that there was no scaring.

Naruto swiveled his head in Sakura's direction and asked, "What do you mean it's _my_ fault that _you_ don't get lunch?" When Naruto spoke, he tried to put as much of his 'signature' speech pattern into his question as possible, so to not alert the others that he was, in fact, in a rather great deal of pain, rather disoriented from his 'lesson', and dealing with some paranoia.

It seemed that his 'performance' had, at least, fooled Sakura as she answered him in a haughty tone. "You tried to get the bentos that Kakashi brought for us before the alarm went off," she accused heatedly, "and when you tried to get away from him, you tripped and spilt both on the ground. Kakashi-sensei told us all about it, so you can't weasel your way out of it! Now we have no food, all thanks to_ you!_"

Naruto looked at her with a gaping mouth. Slowly the pieces of Naruto's missing puzzle began to fall into place as he figured out what exactly happened. Apparently, after he fell unconscious, Kakashi took him and tied him onto the training post, instructing the other two about how he, Naruto, had selfishly 'ruined' their lunch reward.

"You're lucky that Kakashi-sensei is giving us all another chance to get the bells, otherwise I would so kill you right now, you retard."

This bit of information caught Naruto's attention. Kakashi was going to give them another chance, was he? Now he wished he stayed awake, so that he could have heard whatever else the masked scarecrow said to them. He knew that if he were to ask the talkative Haruno, she would all but instantly turn him down, on the prospect that 'Retards should listen when their sensei is talking to them,' or some other bull like that.

Therefore, he tried a different tactic; he turned to Sasuke. "So…" he began, not entirely knowing where he was going with his question, "what else did I miss?"

Sasuke turned his gaze from the ground that he was currently torturing with his fiery gaze to scrutinize his blonde 'teammate'. His gaze was asking if he had actually asked such a stupid question such as that. Huffing, Sasuke returned his gaze back to the dirt, not even acting like the blonde was even worth his time, or even there for that matter.

Naruto, too, huffed in annoyance but his gaze softened. 'I _will_ turn every one of your peers _against_ you.' That is what he had said…and it seemed that he was doing an excellent job in doing so too…

"Kakashi-sensei told us how the true meaning of the test was actually to work together, and he told us why we were put onto four person squads…" Sasuke said, without looking away from the ground before him.

A feeling of shock ran through Naruto, as well as a feeling of thankfulness, that the Uchiha filled him in on what happened, although it was one of the most basic explanations given… oh well.

So, Kakashi had also revealed what the main reason for the test was? Interesting...then again, he wasn't all that surprised. It was most likely one of two things: either Kakashi felt that all three of them had no hope in succeeding in this test, or that he was going to go ahead and pass them anyways. Naruto believed in these two options for several reasons. One was that Kakashi grew overconfident and divulged the information, another theory was that Kakashi didn't care if they knew or not, since he was that more powerful than all three combined. The reason he believed in the second possibility was quite simple. Kakashi wanted to write that they had 'legitimately' passed the exam so that he could write his report without lying. However, with no food or energy in them now, they would have no hope of retrieving the bells.

Naruto kicked the log he was tied to in frustration and in doing so, realized what he had within his lower left cargo pocket; he still had the other two apples from this morning's breakfast.

"Hey," Naruto croaked out, his throat dry from realization and fear. What caused his fear was the thought about what was going to happen to him if Kakashi realized what he had in his pockets, and what Kakashi would do to him for what he was about to do right now.

"What?" Sakura shouted as her last nerve snapped, due to the fact that she was starting to have a very bad day. First, it was Sasuke not talking to her _all_ day, secondly was how she saw Sasuke die in some illusion, and finally, she was now _starving _beyond belief.

"I was just wondering if you wanted the apples that were in my pocket…sheesh…" Naruto hissed in a hurt voice. Sure, he knew she was having a bad day, but that was no excuse to snap at him like that.

Sakura took a double take, "What do you mean, you have apples in your pocket?"

Naruto tried his best to look sheepish so that his two teammates would believe him, "Well you see, I kinda forgot what Kakashi-Sensei had said about this morning, so I _accidentally _ate an apple and stored the other two in my pocket… heh…"

Sakura's face grew a deep shade of red at Naruto's insubordination. It had been a direct order from their Sensei _not _to eat anything before the exam, and he had deliberately disobeyed it. She opened her mouth to rebut the blonde's actions, but the young Uchiha beat her to it.

"Which pocket?" was all he asked.

A smirk made its way onto Naruto's face, "Lower left; you can't miss 'em."

Sakura just looked on, flabbergasted at what was happening before her: Sasuke was rummaging through Naruto's pocket, as Naruto tried giving him 'further instructions' about how to get the apples.

"But Kakashi-sensei told us not to move from this spot, let alone get something to _eat!"_ she shrieked, making her case know. "By eating those apples, we will be going against Kakashi-sensei's or-" an incoming apple caused Sakura to stop reprimanding her two future teammates and catch it.

"Sakura," Naruto began, "we are going up against a _Jounin_. Even with the three of us _fully fed_ and _fully rested_, we wouldn't even have a shadow's chance in defeating him…so what's a couple of apples to help stave off hunger…?'" he finished with a quote from the snake summon, still disguised around his neck.

Sakura opened her mouth to dispute his claim, but after several seconds of nothing coming out, and after some fleeting glances towards Sasuke as he, too, sat waiting her for rebuttal, his apple uneaten in his hand, she finally sighed. With the looks in both Naruto and Sasuke's eyes, she knew that whatever she said the two would most likely disregard it and would continue eating their apple.

"Fine," she cracked, "but if we get into trouble, it is _entirely your fault, _Naruto_!" _she ended while pointing her manicured finger at Naruto's face.

Naruto just smiled gleefully as both of his teammates began digging into their apples. _Take that you masked bastard!_

"What do you think you are doing…?" came a cold, dead, killing voice from right in front of the three Genin.

Two things happened when they heard Kakashi's voice, their blood ran cold and each heart stopped at the mention of their sensei's voice, but Naruto's were the only ones that ran cold, or stopped for a different reason than the other two. His blood ran cold because his mind reran through the events that occurred some time ago, and how they could repeat as punishment due to his actions now; his heart stopped because of the look that showed in his sensei's eye, a look that guarantied future heartbreak and ruin. Normally, he could overcome these feelings with a miscellaneous thought, but with his current predicament, tied securely to a log, and having the knowledge that this man would not think twice when it came to torturing him, made him more vulnerable then he was some time ago.

It seemed as if Kakashi grew ten feet taller as he stood to his full height. His lone eye burned into each of the Genin's skulls, bringing forth shivers, and beads of sweat across each of their brows. He began releasing a concentrated amount of his Killer Intent in order to drive the point further across. When he finally decided to speak again, it was as if he had opened some portal into the Demon Realm, as his voice could easily be mistaken for one.

"Because of your actions here today, I have decided that you all…" he paused and gauged each of the child's reactions.

Sakura looked on the verge of passing out. It seemed as if the concentrated amount of his killing intent was having the designated effect, but judging by her quivering legs, rolling eyes, and the slight amount of foam that was accumulating at the corners of her mouth, it would seem as if she was on the verge of losing all control of her bodily functions. It was good that she was coming to understand the gaps between their power, and by association, anyone else that released killing intent near the level he was releasing right now. It also showed her the lack in training, confidence, and overall abilities she had compared to the others. Kakashi just continued repeating that it was all worth it to have two sources of redemption on one squad.

Speaking of the others, Kakashi studied Sasuke from the corner of his eye. For the most part, it looked like he was currently having a mental breakdown. It was acceptable, considering that he was most likely having flashes of the 'Uchiha Massacre'. That was understandable, and after some time, those would pass and coupled with training his tolerance for killing intent, it would heighten and so would his power.

Moving on to his final 'student' Kakashi smirked mentally at his reaction. By far, this boy was the most well versed individual in the clearing besides himself when it came to KI. However, with the specific amount that he was focusing on the blonde, said blonde was having a similar experience to that of the Uchiha's, the only difference was that Naruto's flashbacks were much worse, as well as much more recent…good…

"…pass!" Kakashi stated cheerfully at the end.

Sakura nearly passed out and lost control of her bladder, but luckily, the happiness that she felt kept her both awake and dry. Sasuke looked visibly relieved, if the sigh that slipped past his lips was anything to go by. Naruto, on the other hand, was the only one that looked visibly shielded, but he covered it well by shouting out how happy he was that he was now an 'official' Genin.

This caught Kakashi by surprise. He did not count on Naruto acting in such a way, covering himself in a deep yet consuming, and very believable, lie. It seemed that the boy was trying to act like he normally would, acting as if the events from nearly half an hour ago did not happen. This only served to make Kakashi giddy with excitement. The boy was going to shoulder all of his hardship by himself? Good. This only meant Kakashi could partake in his little atoning actions that much more.

"Yes, you all pass," Kakashi continued as he saw Sakura about to question his decision, "the reason is that you could have listened to what I said and went without lunch, but because you decided to eat something shows that you are willing to band together, even when against insurmountable odds and for that, you pass."

With that, Sakura burst out into joyous cheering and moved to shower Sasuke with her joy as well with outstretched arms, only for him to push himself to his feet, thus causing the pink-haired teen to grip nothing but air and fall face first onto the ground. Naruto was also making similar proclamations while tied to the post, but both Sasuke and Sakura ignored him. It was then that Kakashi informed the three of them that from now on, they would be meeting at training ground number seven at eight o'clock in the morning for training, missions, and overall team meetings.

With that, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi headed off, since Kakashi called it quits for the rest of the day, and gave his aspiring students the rest of the day to enjoy. Their joyous sounds and recollections were amusing to the scarecrow, and hearing the young Haruno rant on and on about how Naruto 'sabotaged' them, and how she felt about it, was like music to his ears. All the while, the three of them completely ignored Naruto's cries and accusations that they were purposely leaving him tied up. For the most part, it was true and Kakashi relayed their collective thoughts.

"Seeing as how you could not hold yourself back and tried to steal the two bentos for yourself, I believe that it would be an appropriate punishment for you to remain tied to that poll until you untie yourself." The crinkled eye may have indicated a kind smile underneath his mask, but the glint in the man's eyes told the young Uzumaki much, _much_ different. With that, the three of them exited his field of vision, though Sakura's voice and Kakashi's laughter were still vibrating in the blonde's ears.

He knew that no one would come back, so he just remained silent, but the hidden fact remained. His team and 'Sensei' abandoned him, but for some reason it hurt much more than what he originally estimated. This never happened before. No, it did happen before, a long, _long _time ago, when he would sit on his swing, gazing at the happy families around him as they laughed and played. Why was this feeling coming back now? Why was this tightness in his chest happening now? Why was his breath coming in short gasps?

A single thought rose through him as they left him alone at the training grounds. Why was he so alone?

Anger was starting to cloud around him. He thrashed against his bounds in a rage of desperation, and in doing so he found a little 'gift' that Kakashi 'left' behind. A sudden jolt surged into Naruto's body, causing him to cry out in both alarm and in pain. Instead of deterring the young man from moving farther, the shock only seemed to fuel the man's rage even more. Screaming out, Naruto redoubled his efforts against his bounds, thrashing, cursing, and biting. What he soon learned, though, was that with every wriggle, with every thrash and curse, another shock just as powerful as the first assaulted his body, numbing his flesh and electrifying his nerves. Another pained cry ripped Naruto's lungs and throat as the electrical current hidden in the ropes forced him to stop his attempted escape.

He sat panting; the events of his life began rushing into his mind like some black tide of pity and sorrow. He shut his eyes painfully, as if to ward off the thoughts of sadness, loneliness, and heated pain, but they ran through his barricades like wraiths. His desperation fueled them, strengthened them, and they grew to monumental heights because of his depression within seconds. Tears began to crowd the corners of his eyes as he realized how quiet the surrounding area added to his plight and about the thought of how no one _really_ cared about him began rotting him from the inside out.

When they were finally upon him, when his thoughts finally won their revolt and began throwing him into his own pit, filled with his inner demons and ghouls, a pair of arms rose forth from the depths of distress and crushed their assault with one sweep. At this same time, a weight lifted from his neck, and a voice, though distant, made itself known to him once again, begging him to look at her, ordering him to come back to her. Five voices also broke the clearing's silence like shattered paned glass, one being a dog's, and four bipedal figures with one four legged beast ran towards his training post.

Yoko, when she finally pushed the blinding miasma of his hatred away, found that Naruto's brittle mind gotten away from him again, breeding monsters of doubt and lonesomeness. She instantly went on the offensive, crushed his drowning feelings of despair, and destroyed his ghouls with one thought and swish of her hand. Though it had only been about five minutes since everyone left him alone on the post, his human mind, abused and still weakened due to Iruka's passing, and Kakashi's traitorous and psychotic promise, had wasted no time in dragging his self-esteem down to a point of _true_ despair and depression.

Kitenhime decided that she was going to remain as she was, a deceiving necklace, until she met up with Anko, and was able to give a _thorough_ and _detailed_ report about what happened, but that was before she noticed Naruto beginning to hyperventilate. She instantly knew what was happening, or at least, had a rather large inkling about what was happening, and knew that she had to pull him back to the realm of the living, otherwise something bad was going to happen. Anko had similar 'fits' in the past, none of them ending well, with the girl in question falling into a weeping mess of self-blame and loathing, only to rebound when the morning's hangover hit, but that was when the wounds of her Sensei's betrayal and defection were still fresh in her mind. This was when the populous used similar means to punish her, as they did to Naruto now. There was only one major difference between how the villager's and the Ninja populous treated her back then, and how the villagers and Ninja populous treated Naruto now. When the villagers and Ninja shunned Anko, they did so verbally, emotionally, and economically, whereas in Naruto's case, they attacked him physically, verbally, economically, emotionally, spiritually, and caused deeper trust and reliance issues to form within his mind and heart, creating a mindset of 'carry the fate of the world on _my_ shoulders'. Another major difference between the two was the fact that Anko's abuse was after she got training in the Ninja Arts and had confidence in herself; Naruto's ridicule and spite had been in effect since birth when he had _no_ friends to rely on and had _no_ training either to defend himself with or to give him confidence. In other words, Naruto was in a much worse situation then Anko had _ever_ been in, and if someone didn't do something soon to help him out of it then he could have some serious damage, maybe permanent..

The four members of the Fox Corp had regained consciousness not more than five minutes ago, just as Kakashi and his two other team members left the clearing. When they all awoke, they instantly knew that foul play was in acted, but they didn't care, as long as Naruto was fine, nothing else mattered. The problem was that not all was well. As they made their way in searching for the Uzumaki, regrouping moments prior, the four of them came upon a rather frantic looking Nimaru. The dog was barking and pacing about, as if trying to catch the four's attention, and succeeded in doing so, as the four landed in front of the greyhound. However, the moment they landed, Nimaru took off in the direction of the main clearing of the training ground, an action that they knew held something dire. They sprang off behind him, zipping and leaping through the forest, as if it was some kind of playground, and it wasn't until the smell of blood touched their noses that they stepped up their efforts tenfold. What they found when they finally reached the clearing containing Naruto, was Naruto restrained against a training post going through the process of a mental breakdown; whatever happened during their forced sleep was most likely unpleasant.

They were now all together, Kitenhime, the Fox Corp, an unknown Yoko, and Nimaru, all gazing at the dazed Naruto. His eyes were glazed, his breath was short, his flesh was slick with cold, clammy sweat; all in all, Naruto looked as if he was mentally imploding upon himself.

Thinking quickly, Black Fox, leader of the Fox Corp, gripped the ropes in hopes of tearing them apart, and letting the troubled Uzumaki free from his bounds. The only thing he was not counting on was the electric surge that lay hidden within its coils. With one tug at the rope, 10,000 volts tore into Black Fox's body, causing him to stumble back with a yelp of surprise. As he reeled back, White Fox, and Blue Fox effortlessly caught him by his shoulders; although 10,000 volts of electricity was not a lethal dosage, it was a rather unpleasant amount to receive nonetheless.

A shout from Kitenhime alerted the Fox Corp and Nimaru that Naruto was on the verge of losing consciousness again, but this time due to his current panic attack, rather than blunt force trauma. Growling, Black Fox turned to Yellow Fox.

"Cut 'em," was all he said.

A gleam of an eerie sort began to glow within Yellow-Fox's eyes, and Black-Fox remembered the rather large emotional instability that the man in question possessed. It wasn't that he was insane or anything, it was just that the man did not know how to _tone down_ any one of his emotions. For example, if he was happy, he would go about kissing the cheeks of infants on the streets; if he was sad, he would weep himself a river that would most likely drowned him; if he was angry…well, something like the 'Uchiha Massacre' would look more like a playground sandbox fight. Luckily, he never got _truly_ angry, and the times that he had in the past. Luckily, people who were able to subdue him were nearby and held him down until he could find his rational thinking once again. It also didn't help that he was the team's residental Kenjutsu expert.

_I guess that's the price to pay for having an unrivaled IQ,_ Black-Fox muttered to himself.

With the gleam glowing even brighter than before, Yellow-Fox made a flurry of motions with his hand and soon, in an instant, the rope, from shoulder to knee, was cut with just one single slice. Yellow Fox, too, succumbed to the shock of the hidden electrical current, but seeing as how his single fluid motion was quick, the shock did not hold as much sting as it did when Black-Fox attempted tearing the rope with his bare hands.

It was indeed a rather thick rope, probably about an inch thick, but what caught each of the Fox Corp's attention, was the hair-like wire woven into the rope's structure. Each member quickly realized what it was, and quickly placed that thought, or more accurately the thought about why Kakashi used such an item, in the back of their collective minds because there was a more pressing issue to be dealt with at that moment. To better clarify what was in the rope were several hair thin wires, specially used to conduct Chakra, both raw and Elemental. It was used to strengthen the rope if the Chakra in question was of its rawest forms, but when it was Elemental, it would add certain special properties to the rope. If the user used Earth Elemental Chakra, then the rope would become as strong as stone. If the user used Fire Elemental Chakra, then it would burn its victim slowly and intensify if the victim struggled. In this case, if the user used _Lightening_ Elemental Chakra, then the rope would inflict a sudden burst of its electrical charge into the victim when he or she struggled to break free.

The Fox Corp members disregarded those thoughts for the moment when they, and Nimaru, watched Naruto fall face down upon the ground, like some sort of boned fish. His breath was still shallow, his eyes glazed, and it seemed that he was still in his panic attack. Panic started to grip the hearts of the men around Naruto just as panic and despair gripped Naruto's heart. None of the members of the Fox Corp had ever had any extensive training in regards of field medic knowledge or Techniques. The only way they 'scientifically' knew how to deal with stress and sorrow involved liquor or women, so seeing Naruto in such a state, even after they released him from his bounds, made a fear they thought long passed leech into their bones.

"Don't just stand there!" Kitenhime's voice barked at them, "Get him on his back!"

With wordless nods, the four men and one dog swiftly moved to roll the hyperventilating Uzumaki onto his back. The moment they touched his shoulder though, his body coiled upon itself instinctively and with a shuddered gasp, most likely a failed cry out of alarm and fear, escaped from his lips. The four men quickly ignored his defense mechanism and rolled Naruto onto his back, his eyes still like those of a hypnotized man, lost in a land of nightmares and horrors.

Without saying another word, Kitenhime shot up onto his chest, since she fell to the ground just as the Uzumaki did earlier, and began screaming in his face, trying to bring him back. When that failed, her face hardened at the thought of having to do something drastic leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Time to _wake up!" _she barked out, as she struck his face with her hardened tail repeatedly. "Wake up! Wake up! _Wa-ke…U-P!"_ and with one final slap of her steel-like tail, Naruto's eyes flashed brightly, and a startled shout broke past his clenched teeth.

He shot upright, throwing Kitenhime into the waiting hands of Blue Fox. His head whipped to the left and right, as if he just woke up from a deep sleep, rather than coming out of a panic attack. Fear was evident in his eyes as he at last focused on the four 'new' men before him. They all wore similar clothing consisting of long sleeved shirts, breathable full-length pants, fingerless gloves, and a lower facemask made of a plastic material. The only difference between the four men were their hair color. One man had a dirty-blond color, one man had a bed-sheet white color, one man had a sky-blue color, and the last man had black hair. The look in their eyes instantly told him that each of the men before him were allies, and that each looked oddly familiar. Placing both the eye color, hair color, and posture into his memories, Naruto soon realized that these men were the same ANBU members that consoled him after the Mizuki Incident.

_That would mean that these guys are the Fox Corps…_ Naruto concluded, ease seeping into his body; however, only in a limited degree.

"Naruto-sama, are you all right?" asked the black-haired fox member.

Thinking quickly, Naruto flashed them his best dazzling smile and said, "Of course I am. I'm a Genin now, so I couldn't be happier!"

The knowing gazes he received quickly told him that they did not believe him in the slightest. The man with the dirty-blond hair was the first to speak once the four men exchanged glances. "Naruto-sama…" his tone was hesitant, as if he was chastising a lying child, rather than talking to a recovering individual. "…what happened with Hatake-san?"

Naruto's gleaming smile faltered only slightly before it came back with its full shine, "Oh, I just got overconfident, that's all. I thought I could take him on all by myself and rushed him with Shadow Doppelgangers, but he quickly over powered me. Not too smart, huh?" he asked, scratching the back of his head shamefully. "I then saw a bell under a tree, but it was a trap. After I got out of the trap, I noticed that Kakashi-sensei left two bentos out, so I decided to help myself to them. I guess that was my third mistake."

By now, the preaching blonde was to his feet and dusting his rump off. "Kakashi-sensei found me, and when I tried to get away, I spilled the bento. Kakashi then thought it would be an acceptable punishment if he left me there like that, tied to the post," he gestured towards said stump before continuing. "After that, the others came around, we learned the meaning of the test was teamwork, and when Kakashi-sensei said we would have a few minutes to catch our breath before we began again, I offered the others the apples that I hid inside my pocket."

Naruto then placed his two hands behind his head in a cocky motion and grinned that much brighter, "The others ate them and Kakashi-sensei passed us! Simple as that!"

"Then explain to us why your hands are _covered_ with dried blood?" asked the white-haired man curtly and politely.

Naruto's squinted eye smile shattered. His lips curled down into a shaking frown, his eyes opened revealing fear, and his hands slowly descended until they were before his eyes. What the white-haired man said was true; his hands were _drenched_ with dried blood, and as his shaking eyes inspected his palms, he saw identical one-inch scars in the direct center of each palm. Naruto's head violently snapped down towards his feet to see that they, too, had similar scars near the center of his feet.

"Um…it seems that I hurt myself when I stumbled while running from Kakashi-sensei with the bento…heh heh…"

'Naruto-sama…"

"Anyways, I can hear some nearly homemade ramen calling my name! So if you would excuse me, I will take my leave, my empty stomach is not going to fill itself, now is it?" proclaimed Naruto cheerfully, and without further ado, he performed a mock salute and headed off in the direction of Konoha's business district.

"Naruto-sama, it's not good to let Hatake get away with-"

Naruto quickly interrupted Yellow Fox before he could finish his accusation, "What are you talking about? Kakashi-sensei didn't do anything wrong…it was my own fault…"

"With all due respect, all of us here know that you are lying to us," Black Fox admitted calmly, standing to his full height, a rather impressive and intimidating height at that.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Naruto said, as he continued out of the clearing, his voice noticeably strained, but cheery.

"Kakashi did something to you, didn't he?" Yellow Fox didn't mean to shout, but in seeing Naruto stop his advance towards the village, he decided that becoming 'violent' may in fact be the correct choice in action. "Just tell us! We will be able to report this to the Hokage and he will be able to rightfully reprimand Hatake-san."

"Kakashi-sensei didn't do anything…" the reply this time was strain to the point of breaking.

"Naruto-sama, please… we just want to help you…"

"HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!" Naruto bellowed. "NOTHING HAPPENED! IT WAS ALL MY FAULT! YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE!"

"Naruto…" the emotions that burst forth had come as a horrible surprise to all of the individuals in the clearing.

"BACK TO YOUR POSTS; THAT IS A _DIRECT_ ORDER!" he ordered, his back still facing the four men.

Silence ensued, only broken by the heavy panting of one Uzumaki Naruto. Each of the Fox Corp's member's faces held a wounded expression. It wasn't that they were yelled at that wounded them, but the fact that the person they promised to protect was lying to them, one of the most pure and kindest person they ever knew, which is what truly hurt. Silently, they nodded, concluding that now was not the time to question his decision, and instead, they decided to wait until an unknown date to pursue their answers. Without another word, the Fox Corp slipped out of sight, back to their posts where they would watch Naruto from afar, and protect him by any means necessary.

Once Naruto was sure that the four were indeed gone, he took a deep, and quivering, breath. Guilt as he never felt before consumed him. He almost felt sick to his stomach, due to his actions just moments ago. Sure, they wanted to help him, but it wasn't that hard to notice that he didn't want their help now. Kakashi challenged him, and him alone. If he was going to win, he wanted to do so on his own terms, and by his own power. A selfish thought, yes, but all that matter was that it made sense to Naruto.

He felt something extremely wet and hot lap up against his exposed right hand and automatically flinched, withdrawing the hand in question from the new sensation. Looking down, he saw the enormous sad eyes of Nimaru with Kitenhime coiled up on his back. He yipped softly before nuzzling Naruto's leg affectionately, an action that nearly brought Naruto to his knees with barely contained emotions but he dutifully reined them in and tightened his hold upon them. Instead, he settled with patting Nimaru's head kindly as well as scratching behind his ears as a show of his gratitude and thanks.

"You know, they were just trying to help you…" Kitenhime said soberly, sadly even.

Naruto sighed and picked her up off Nimaru's back, an action that relieved Nimaru greatly; he just could never get used to the immense weight that the girl seemed to possess, and having that large weight situated on the center of your back could easily drive one to the brink of insanity. Kitenhime, for her part, was rather pleased that he decided to pick her up and even more thrilled when he placed her on his shoulder.

"Yeah…I know…"

"Then why did you lie to them?" she asked, her voice quiet and soothing, and for a moment, Naruto saw her for not some obscenely heavy reptile…but for something more, something that he had never come across other than with Yoko, something he did not even know the name of…yet.

He sighed again and motioned for Nimaru to follow him as he slowly made his way out of the training field and towards the village, an estimated seven minute walk until he would arrive at his favorite home-away-from-home. "This is my battle. Kakashi threatened me and me alone. If others were to get involved…" he left the statement hang, not knowing how he would finish it.

Kitenhime, on the other hand, knew what was going to come after, even if Naruto was not going to admit it. She knew that he would not allow anyone else to bear his burden in fear that they may face the same treatment as him, dragged through the mud and thorns, dirtied and torn to shreds, soon to be fed to the wolves of human fear. Anko had been the same way. She plead insanity and chased away _everyone_ that tried getting close to her in fear of betrayal, hidden motives, and she feared for the person's well being. At one point, she even seduced one of her main naysayer's, who was once a close friend, via alcohol, and proceeded to teach him the meaning of pain, suffering, and loss all through that night. This incident, though isolated, had been conceived after said man _continuously_ spread rumors and gossip about her sexual preferences, future dastardly plans for the village, and other more intimate tendencies, most of which were straight out lies. Anko, after suffering a month's worth of advances, ridicule, and investigations, had taken it upon herself to teach the boy that when you pull on a snake's tail,you _will_ get its bone-crushing coils and bone-piercing fangs.

Therefore, Kitenhime stayed quiet all through their walk to Ichiraku's Ramen Bar. She understood that the human mind, in times of great sorrow and inner turmoil, needed quietness and time to reflect. Reflection upon the actions that Kakashi inflicted on the boy and the emotions that carried with said actions, and reflect upon those actions that Naruto carried out, and the emotions that drove them. She respected that motion; that need to reflect and understand, just as Nimaru did. Therefore, they sat silent, walking through the village brimming with civilians, Ninja, and merchants alike.

It was at this time that Kitenhime took part in her own reflection, but what she reflected on was the enigma that was Uzumaki Naruto, a boy cut of the same clothe as her dear friend and ally. She had, _horribly_, underestimated the young man when she first met him, to the point where her first thoughts of him were of some sniveling greenhorn, who did not know what the true darkness of the profession held. His actions, and the actions inflicted upon him, shattered her glass-like image that she had of him and changed into what was now a complicated piece of true art.

They continued walking, bobbing and weaving in and out of traffic in an almost mindless daze. It was then that Kitenhime noticed it: the glares, the gazes of pure distain and disgust. It had been some time since she last saw looks of their kind. It was almost refreshing in a sense. The reminder of human ignorance and fear when showcased against _true_ suffering breathed a strong gust of wind into Kitenhime's sails of respect. The respect came from the man's actions of just walking on, as if their looks, jabs, and accusations didn't matter, because in all honesty, they didn't.

A smile slipped onto her face, and she wrapped her tail around his neck in a comforting and supporting gesture. This man was indeed one of a kind, strong as granite in the face of hatred and spite, but brittle as glass when it came to unfamiliar emotions and actions. A thought about Anko's interest in the young man crossed Kitenhime's mind, just as they turned a corner and saw the Ramen Bar just a block away. The thought was; what would happen if the two of them were even in a relationship that led to something close to affection, true affection? Anko had been alone for so long, foregoing the dating scene since the incident with aforementioned naysayer, and while her friends had all but become her family, Anko needed something more; she noticed such a need in the past couple of summons. If she had a man like this in her life, a man that understood things that no one on earth should even have the position of comprehending, then maybe, just maybe, Anko would finally be able to find that soul consuming emotion that she, albeit silently and subconsciously, strived for.

Her thoughts, and the strange sensation in her heart at the thought of Naruto happy with another woman, came to a halt once they neared the cozy and homely ramen stand.

"Don't tell anyone about what happened today," Naruto said suddenly, stopping outside the stand.

Kitenhime, for her part, nearly fell off his shoulder at his sudden, and clearly outlandish, request, and Nimaru looked as if he was about to protest as well, but the look that Naruto suddenly struck them with stopped their rebuttals and demands. This was a look of selfish conviction. Kitenhime often saw this same look with her summoner and Hana.

"Promise me…," he said quietly, so only they could hear him, his voice quivering slightly.

Kitenhime contemplated if she should promise, and actually, _keep_ said promise, him that she would in fact not tell a soul about what had happened. In all honesty, Kitenhime was the only one that had actually witnessed what happened, Nimaru only being able to pick up bits and pieces of the audio, as he feared Kakashi seeing him. He would be unable to give a creditable account, so if she did promise this, and kept it, the only ones that honestly knew about the incident would be Naruto and Kakashi, and neither would tell a soul, she estimated. Kakashi because of who he was and Naruto not wanting to bring anyone else into his problems.

Therefore, with a heavy heart, something that was foreign, and almost frightening, Kitenhime decided…to lie. "Yes, I promise."

XxXxX End XxXxX

AN: oh my, that was fun. In all honesty it had been some time since I had read this and as I edited it I got goosebumps during the fight scene. It was awesome to feel that sensation in writing again. Anyway, there are something about this chapter I would like to enlighten you, my readers, on/

The fight scene: in all honesty I go the inspiration for the scene from the sixth OVA of One Piece. It is an excellent OVA and wish for you all to look into it. The movie scene helps explain the inner meanings behind this fight better than I ever could.

Also, my editor has pointed out that I have some difficulty with run-on sentences. I apologize for that. I just let my writing get away from me sometimes and this is the result.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed both writing it and rereading it. Look forward for more from me.

One last thing, please review and give your opinion on this chapter. But keep in mind: do unto others as you would have done unto you. In other words be kind in your reviews.

TTFN

Evilsheeplordthatsaysmoo


	6. Fourth Fist: Third Finger

Moo

Hello my lovers, my haters, my friends, my enemies, my future, and my past. I give you the next installment of the Fourth chapter of 'Ten Thousand Fists''. A word of warning, there might be what is considered OOC-ness in this chapter, but keep an open mind about it. Also have a tissue nearby, I nearly cried myself when I fine-tuned this chapter, and when you know that the writer gets emotional, you know it's going to be deep.

As for my life (if you care) it's been one of those days. Going good, find a wrench, and then the whole day goes to Hell in a hand basket. Oh well, my own stupid fault, just didn't look before I leapt. Still makes me want to cry though. I mean, sure I can be a lazy guy, but the one time I actually get serious about something and the next thing you know I goof it all up, not only for myself but for quite a few people. Sigh, I need a nap, naps make me happy.

On to my new loves: I love SCOTT PILGRIM! If you don't currently know what this is, or who this is, go out and purchase the Six Volumes of Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley. You will love him.

…I think that is all for me and my woes and loves.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Not Scott, not Naruto, or any other anime, manga, life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness that you will find in this story. What I do own is two cows, named Felix and Ferdinand. They run with my sheep so it's all good.

XxXxX Fourth Fist: Third Finger XxXxX

XxXxX Ramen Bar; Time: 12:15 XxXxX

Ichiraku Teuchi's day had been relatively normal; customers in and out, an order here and there, and Ayame pacing back and forth. When Ayame's worried pacing was something new to the wizened man, the reason behind the young woman's worry was not. She had been like that all morning after his comments about how Naruto was going to have to partake in an exam that would either allow him Shinobi-ship, or send him back to the academy to repeat his graduating year. It seemed that it was not one of his smartest decisions to date, but seeing the flustered and concerned actions of his daughter seemed to lighten his day that much more. Why, might you ask? Well, because seeing Ayame displaying her affection for the young blonde was always something he enjoyed.

'_Speak of the devil and he shall appear,'_ thought Teuchi wistfully, until he saw the aura surrounding the young man. He knew that something was off instantly, a feeling that only intensified when he saw Naruto's companions.

One was an Inuzuka ally, which was a surprise to Teuchi. Inuzuka's _rarely_ allowed their allies to be with anyone else, other than family members who knew how to treat their specialized dogs. If one was with Naruto, that either meant he gained the trust of one Inuzuka, a feat in and of itself amazing, seeing as Inuzuka were especially trusting clans, and they did not trust those outside their clan such easily, or had shown characteristics that intrigued the Inuzuka in question, another amazing feat in and of itself. Now then, the question was which Inuzuka had Naruto either intrigued? There were not many currently in the field at the moment seeing as how more than half of their numbers died during the Kyuubi's rampage fourteen years ago, and all current members were trying to 'repopulate,' with only the strongest of them in the field at the moment. The only members that Teuchi could currently name were of the center branch of the clan, which consisted of the clan head Tsume, and her two children: Kiba and Hana. He definitely knew that the hound was not Kiba's, seeing as his pup would be nowhere near as big as this current hound, and Tsume didn't fit the bill either. Why would the head of the clan, who was closer to beast than woman, have anything to do with Naruto, a boy who reeked of fox, the eternal rival of the dog? She wouldn't. That only left the young Hana, which was interesting…interesting indeed.

Teuchi sighed to himself, 'I_t seems that Naruto's charisma seems to be 'dispersing' into the world just as _his_ had, and the boy does not even know it yet… oh well._

Naruto took notice of Teuchi's gaze. "Can I borrow your bathroom…?" he asked with a nervous chuckle.

Teuchi smiled happily, "Sure thing kid! You know where it is." The stand did not have a restroom, but the Ichiraku's home attached to the shop did.

With a thankful nod, Naruto headed towards the back of the stall, but not before depositing his passenger and his walking companion at the stand's bar. Ichiraku's Ramen Bar was directly in front of the Ichiraku's two-story city house. It would not be a stretch to say that the set up of Ichiraku's Ramen Bar was a picture perfect family business, what with its hand-built stand flush with the backdoor of the house, its second floor window flower boxes, and its weathered exterior.

As Naruto left towards the house, luckily missing Ayame who was currently visiting a local supplier seeing as how the lunch rush had depleted most of their vegetables and meat cuts, Teuchi frowned heavily. There could only be one reason why Naruto would _request_ to use the backroom, and seeing as how the young man's hands never left his pockets, even when he was positioning himself so that his small passenger would not need his assistance in getting on the bar, that would only mean that things became physical during the exam. It also did not help that the air around Naruto smelled faintly of blood.

His eyes shifted towards Naruto's second unique companion. Now, Teuchi did not have to take long to decipher or contemplate who had supplied it, but his interest in which Naruto was currently spending his time with grew exponentially. The only person who could bring forth a snake was the one and only Mitarashi Anko, the one-time apprentice of Orochimaru, and Special Jounin of Konoha. Instead of causing Teuchi worry, the knowledge brought a well-needed warm sensation in his chest. Anko, against popular belief, was actually a good girl…once you got past her eccentric nature and psychotic tendencies. She was a good girl then, and she _still _was a good girl. If Naruto had finally met Miss Anko, then he had finally met someone who shared his pain, someone who could finally understand what he, himself, experienced at the hands of the ignorance … and be able to help him with it.

'_Well actually',_ Teuchi mused to himself, '_if _she_ has made contact, then Naruto has _two_ people who know his pain… but that does not take Hinata into consideration… My, oh my…you may think you're alone my dear young man, but in all actuality, you aren't…' _

His mind then went back to assessing the situation, and the information that he knew. Teuchi was now sure that the dog present was supplied by Hana, seeing as she was a close friend of Anko…and if his deduction skills were correct, and they have never once been wrong in his forty years of life and service** (1)**, then that would mean Naruto encountered Yuhi Kurenai and Uzuki Yuugao as well.

Teuchi chuckled loudly to himself, bringing the attentions of both the snake and the dog, both _just_ able to see over the counter top, to focus on him. "Oh sorry, don't mind me…," he said, trying to sooth their speculating look, but while it seemed to work with the Ninja dog, it did not work for the snake.

"_Really_," her voiced dripped with sarcasm, "and why should we just 'not mind' you?"

Teuchi's eyebrows escaped into his hairline at the realization that this snake was one of the few that could speak. "What do youmean?" he asked innocently, already having an idea about why she asked her question.

Kitenhime's gaze chilled even more as she replied, "What are _you _to Naruto-kohai?"

"_He _is my dear friend, Kitenhime-san," Naruto's voice came in a cold manner, as he returned from the bathroom, his hands clean as a whistle. "He is a man that took care of me and watched over me when few did," he continued, defending one of his few friends.

Kitenhime watched as Naruto strolled from out of the stand's hidden depths and as he came and sat in his usual stool, the stool directly beside her and Nimaru. Instinctively, she slithered closer to him and wrapped her tail around his arm as he rested it on the bar's countertop. Teuchi took note of the action, but said nothing, instead he opted to flash Naruto a smile and resume their tradition of ramen.

"So, what will you have today, Naruto?"

"I'm not hungry…"

"Right three beef, and on-whoa, whoa, whoa…What?" Teuchi asked, his mind instantly shifting gears. Now, Teuchi could, literally, count the times that Naruto had come to his shop not looking for food on one hand, and the cause of each incident had been something most unpleasant. "Naruto-kun, is something wr—" before he could press further, a voice sounded behind him.

"Naruto-kun, there you are! Do you have any idea how worried I was?" Ayame heard the conversation from earlier seeing as she had just returned between Teuchi and Kitenhime, and decided to investigate. Image her surprise when she saw Naruto sitting directly in the center of the bar, his unofficial seat.

Naruto shifted his eyes from Teuchi to Ayame, "Hello Ayame-chan, it's good to see you."

Ayame faltered at the tone of his voice; it sounded as if someone told him that the ramen fairy was all a lie, hollow and weary. "Naruto-kun, what's wro—"

"Why don't you inventory what we have in the back storeroom, Ayame dear," Teuchi's voice cut in.

"What?" she exploded, "No, I can do that later, right now—"

"Right now, I asked you to do inventory." Teuchi cut in again, sending a smile in her direction, "Though you got some needed supplies I would still like you to go in the back and take inventory so that I know what I have to work with for this evening."

"But dad…"

"Or do you want me to tell Naruto-kun here about a certain _something_…," Teuchi's kind smile turned into a devious grin.

Ayame's mouth quickly closed with a _'snap'_ and a blush exploded across her cheeks. There was no way he would actually tell Naruto about her life-sized pillow that she handmade to resemble said blonde, or the fact that she snuggled against said pillow each night in order to get to sleep, would he? She made to reprimand her father, but only accomplished in making incoherent sounds and acting like a fish as both Teuchi and Naruto looked on. Teuchi was thoroughly enjoying himself internally and she knew it and hated it. Naruto just wordlessly looked on, completely lost and wondering what this 'something' could possibly be. Finally, Ayame stomped her foot in an immature sign of defeat, a rather childish action Naruto noted, though cute he mentally admitted, and she sharply marched up to the bar and jabbed a slender finger into Naruto's face from across the distance between them.

"Our date. Tonight. Seven. And no being late," she said, her tone barring no room for arguments, "and I'm _hoping _that your definition is not eating here. No, I'm talking about a _legitimate _date! Food, holding hands, maybe some cuddling, the _whole_ shebang!

"**Got it?"**

Naruto's rapidly nodding head quickly confirming what she said, completely terrified as to what Ayame was doing

Her fearsome façade instantly faded into that of an innocent, lovable sixteen-year-old girl, "Thank you Naruto-kun! I'll be waiting at seven then!" and with that, she disappeared into the back of the stand, a _visible _bounce to her step.

Once she left, and the sound of the house's back door slamming shut came and went, Teuchi burst into laughter, so strong that he held his sides as tears began to stream down his face. Naruto's face was steadily regaining its color, but his dinner plate-like eyes and unhinged jaw had yet to revert to their normal size. Kitenhime was shocked, but steadily following Teuchi's example as barely retrained giggles slowly escaped her clenched lips. Nimaru was mimicking Teuchi as he was shamelessly rolling around the ground with barking laughter. Their reactions to Naruto's new 'problem' lasted for another two minutes, Kitenhime soon following Nimaru as she begin to roll across the bar's countertop, until Teuchi rounded the bar, and chuckling, sat down to the stunned Naruto's left.

Patting the teen on the back, Teuchi said, "Well, looks like we all needed that, eh Naruto-kun?"

Naruto didn't say a word but opted to sit his head against the countertop and sigh loudly.

"It'll be OK," Teuchi added that after some time of silence, his hand still on Naruto's back rubbing across its surprising broadness in order to bring comfort. "She won't be that insane on your date…or at least she _shouldn't _be that insane…," he added as an after thought, stroking his chin contemplatively.

Yet, the small touch on comedy did not seem to help Naruto's downcast mood. He just laid there, his breath coming in and out periodically, with a sigh ever so often.

Teuchi, seeing that humor was not going to get a rise out of the young Uzumaki, decided to change gears, albeit drastically. "How about I tell you a story?"

"...mmmh."

"Is that a yes?" Teuchi asked as he waited for Naruto's response. Soon, he heard the young blonde's small signal of acceptance as a small smile made its way onto Teuchi's face as he rested his chin in his left palm. "Now then…let's see… Ah! How about some tales about Namikaze Minato…?" he finished slowly, dropping one of the biggest bombshells he possessed.

Naruto's eyes, though unseen by Teuchi, nearly popped out of his skull, and his body became suddenly tense. There was no way on earth this was actually happening! There was just no way…but boy was he wrong.

"He was a great man, a kind man. Always took _everything_ upon himself, even though someone could do it in his place. He always acted as if the whole world was resting on his shoulders, as if he was the only one that could deal with his Genin team, or with the village, or when the Kyuubi attacked. He was such a selfish boy, never wanting anyone to die, even if it meant his own death." Teuchi chuckled lightly to himself as he continued rubbing the young listener's back and loosing himself to the past. "He came here often, you know, right when I first opened this place up with Nami, asking for advice, wishing to talk, or for someone to listen, and really listen. He wanted someone who wasn't going to tell him what he wanted to hear, but rather, someone who would be willing to tell him what he _needed _to hear.

"You're so much like him Naruto, so much like you father…"

This time, Naruto's head did shoot up from upon the bar's countertop, and his wide fearful eyes gaped at Teuchi as he smiled on, not once looking at Naruto's expression or reaction, his hand continuing to rub and soothe the blonde.

"I remember when he said that he was meeting up with a girl back in his Genin days," he continued, sighing wistfully. "He even told me that he never told his own sensei about her. He even _explained_ her to me; her flaming red hair, her beauty, her kind words, her power, oh how I wished I could have met her at the time." Teuchi again ignored Naruto's tensing body and continued with his tale, "I even asked him to introduce her to me at one point, but you know what he said to me? He said 'I can't show her to you, cause she sleeps all the time, and she told me that I must _never _show her cave to anyone else.' Little squirt didn't even know that he just gave me a key piece of information, _ha_! Well, he was a Genin at the time so, of course, I picked on him horribly." Teuchi carried on his laughter for a good while, recalling the looks on Minato's face when he was young.

Naruto's mind was once again moving at a mile a minute as he began comprehending what his long time friend was finally unveiling to him. He _knew_ his father, since he was a _Genin_! That meant he knew things about him that no one else _knew_! Then that would mean that—

"I finally got the little squirt to tell me the name of this mysterious beauty; it took nearly four years, but he finally told me. He was sitting exactly where you are sitting now Naruto, and he told me that his mystery lady's name was Yoko." Again, Naruto's eyes nearly popped out of his skull, and this time he was sitting straight up, rather than hunched over the countertop. "By now, he was a Jounin, but I had gotten the name out of him at last. After that, even when _I _tried bringing her up in conversations again, he would just change the subject, dodging my questions left and right. However, _he_ would always bring her up every now and then…selfish boy…," he chuckled again as he remembered how Minato would never answer any questions about Yoko. Yet, he would always sprinkle little mysteries about Yoko every so often to keep the ramen chef's interest alive.

"Ah, he was a good man, aggravating at times, but a good man. Yet, he was also naïve…" Teuchi's smile slipped into a small frown. "He asked me once if there was a true black and white to this world we live in. He asked his sensei before he came to me. His sensei said that 'Of course there is,' but Minato wasn't so sure, and so he came to me and asked again. I answered him that 'No, there is no true black or white in this world, only different shades of gray…,' when he asked me to elaborate, I tried my best. I said, 'To us, Iwa is the enemy, no way around that. They kill our Shinobi, steal our land, and take our jobs, but to them, Konoha is the enemy. _We_ take _their_ land, _we_ kill _their_ Shinobi, and _we_ steal _their_ jobs. Therefore, is it not fair to say that we are all good and evil?'"

Teuchi finally turned to look at Naruto only to find a confused expression a long with stunned and awed eyes. "How about I explain it this way? You're taking Ayame out tonight, and you have the _purist_ of intentions at heart." The way that Teuchi emphasized 'purist' made a shiver run up Naruto's spine. "Therefore, you see yourself as the Hero; you're going to give the young lady something that she'll remember for the rest of her life.

"Now I, her loving and protective father, have raised Ayame; I love her, I care for her, and I would do anything to see her happy. Along comes you, the aspiring 'Hero', and you plan to show her the same happiness that I have given her all of her life. I might view your actions to date my daughter as a ploy to steal her away from me, thus ending my happiness with my daughter. Once she is away from me, you may only bring her nothing but despair and sadness and so, I move to halt your interaction with my daughter, and thus, I see myself as the Hero for protecting my daughter from possible heartbreak and sorrow.

"Now, let's pan out and look at this from both aspects. To you, I will seem like the opposition, the 'Villain', in your affection, and your desire to show my lovely daughter happiness and love. I, on the other hand, view you as the opposition, the 'Villain', for trying to take my daughter away from me and stealing away her happiness for your own lust… understand?"

For the first time Naruto replied, his mouth was dry and his throat scratchy, "So…its all in the point of view…?" seeing Teuchi's gaze, Naruto licked his lips before continuing, "We both think what we are doing is just, while at the same time, think what the other person is doing is evil…?"

"And what does that make the world?" Teuchi asked.

"It would make the world gray…every action within would have both justice and evil in it, just in different amounts…"

"Precisely!" Teuchi cheered, "To us, we view Yoko's attack as an act of malice and mindless destruction, but what people don't do is look at it from her point of view. What was she feeling? What were her thoughts? Maybe she was in the right, or maybe she was being controlled at the time," He continued, giving out various explanations.

"Exactly-" Naruto gasped and clasped his hands before his mouth. Had he just said what he thought he just said; had he just confirmed, albeit indirectly, what he thought he just confirmed?

An enormous sigh parted Teuchi's lips as the excitement of the moment began to die down. He leaned heavily on the countertop and winked at Naruto, "People are too narrow-minded to consider other possibilities. They think linearly and don't take the time or the effort to think 'outside the box'. They think that 'this is right' and 'that is wrong' or 'he is evil' while 'he is good,' without taking the time to understand the other or comprehend that maybe their way of thinking is wrong.

"Doesn't that mean we don't either?" he finally asked. "Does that mean that we get so caught up with our ways, that we instinctively say that 'That man just killed another man, so that must make him evil,' when it really is 'That man just defended himself from an attacker, so he that must mean he is good'?"

Now Naruto's head was being to hurt. There were too many variables and loops and thoughts and other things for him to comprehend… His head suddenly hit the countertop as his hands gripped his hair. Did that mean that Kakashi was in the right with his actions? Did that mean the villagers were also in the green for hating him and shunning him? On the other hand, was there still a universal 'black and white' to the world with bits of grey splashed in?

"Ugh…"

"Oh, I'm sorry Naruto-kun. Maybe I should have brought this point up at a different time," Teuchi scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Why don't you head on back to your apartment and think about it; maybe take a nap or relax? You'll feel better."

Naruto just nodded his head and rose from his stool, taking the time to allow Kitenhime to coil herself up his arm and onto his shoulder. He began heading towards the stand's opening, his left hand running through his golden locks in hopes of easing his growing migraine. The story started out nice and he now knew of someone who also knew his father! However, the discussion quickly turned into one that made his head hurt and made him recall what happened during his exam.

"Oh, Naruto-kun?" Teuchi's voice was different as he called to Naruto. "If you ever want to talk, about _anything_, you know where the key is…"

Naruto turned his head towards Teuchi and smiled sincerely, "Thank you, Teuchi. I'll take you up on that sometime in the future…"

In that one moment, as the sun reflected of a nearby window, Teuchi thought he saw Minato standing besides his son, smiling sincerely and authentically. The instant it happened it was gone, however, just as Naruto turned and left, pushing the head flaps apart.

XxXxX On Naruto's way to his apartment; Time: 12:45 XxXxX

While the revelation that Naruto had a living, and willing, 'link' to his father, and probably his mother, was supposed to bring him great joy and happiness; the philosophical point that Teuchi made only served to darken his mood. It was as if saying everything in life, whether ill or good-natured, happened for some reason. This was something that Naruto did not necessarily want to hear now or at least think about as he was currently heading back to his apartment to take Teuchi's last bit of advice to heart, take a nap and relax for the rest of the day.

The blonde grimaced and moaned aloud, '_I still have to take Ayame-chan out on a _date_ tonight…'_

"Why does my life suck?" he asked aloud, dejectedly, as he trudged on.

"What do you mean?" Kitenhime asked, putting in her two cents. Nimaru also wished to add his change to the pot, but it would just be a waste of time if one had to go through a translator, so he decided to wait until the pup became accustomed to him and his speech.

"…it was rhetorical," he added shortly after. In all honesty, it was, but the weight behind what he just said, a phrase that had not passed his lips in over six years, was still noticeable to both Kitenhime and Nimaru.

Kitenhime knew his reply was a lie, but decided to ignore it as she enjoyed their brisk walk through the business district as they headed towards the housing district of Konoha. The two districts were directly next to each other, so a walk from one side to the start of the other would take no more than ten minutes by foot, or three by rooftops. Moreover, with Naruto partaking in more strenuous route, Kitenhime saw a rare sight into the everyday mechanics of Konoha's civilian life.

The Summon's Realm was much different from the Human Realm. In the Summon's Realm, there were no stores, no shops or venders, but rather, it was a lush forest teeming with edible creatures, clean rivers and lakes, and clear skies with the perfect temperature year-round. At least, this was what the Snake's section of the Summon's Realm was like; every Summon had a specific area in which they ruled, each area designed specifically for their species. Meaning, the Toad's section was full of marshes, bogs, and wetlands, while the Slug's section was full of enormous trees, gargantuan boulders, and fertile soil.

Therefore, for Kitenhime this was amazing. She saw how mothers bought bread and meat from open-aired venders instead of going out to hunt for their food. She saw children playing about near their parents as they shopped or conversed with other parents. Snakes were mostly solitary creatures, and only came together when a fight was starting, or when the Head Summon, Manda, called for a meeting. Yes, Kitenhime had friends, but not like how humans had friends. She was in awe at how they interacted, seeing as Kitenhime only saw the Shinobi side of human interactions whenever Anko summoned her.

Suddenly, her 'ride' came to a screeching halt as he, in rushing to his apartment and not checking his surroundings, bumped into what seemed to be a small boy. The boy was probably no more than five or six, still clutching his mother's hand, with light brown hair and a pudgy face. When Naruto accidentally collided with the small child, he knocked him down on his rump. Now then, child was perfectly okay, and he knew that he was as he giggled and made his way back onto his equally pudgy feet, but Naruto couldn't help but squat down to his small size and assist him back to his feet.

The boy smiled up at Naruto as he stood to his original height. "Thank you mista'," the boy said through missing teeth.

Naruto chuckled at the child's response, "You're very welco—"

_SLAP_

The slap echoed around the open-air market and all who heard it tuned to its cause and source. The source of the slap was a middle-aged woman, her hand still raised as evidence, with deep-brown shoulder-length hair, a modest figure, and a head-and-a-half taller than Naruto. Her face was flushed with rage, but her eyes bled with fear, her chest heaving up and down as her emotions consumed her. The people within the vicinity did not understand her wild outburst, but when they spotted the turned head of the village's local pariah, all noise ceased and all wished to hear the confrontation to come.

Naruto was stunned, his head still cocked to the left and his eyes wide with shock, and he didn't even move from his position, even as his cheek burned with the woman's handprint.

The woman quickly brought her hand back as if burned and hissed, "Don't you _dare_ touch my son, you _monster!"_

Housewives around the market leaned in, just salivating at the prospect of new gossip. The men of the area tensed and grabbed anything at hand, just in case the boy became violent. Shinobi shopping and socializing looked on, waiting for the outcome and readying themselves, just in case they had to jump in to break up a future riot.

Naruto looked at the woman's face, with his face still cocked to the left, and saw nothing but fear and anger, just like everyone else who ignored, yelled, or attacked him in the past. Something inside of him wanted to scream out at the woman, hell, even retaliate physically, but that would cause too many problems, and too much heartache for both sides. In addition, if he decided to retaliate, then he would only become what they thought he was, or at least, that would be how _they_ saw it.

Bowing his head low, Naruto apologized. "I'm sorry ma'am, I will not do it again…"

The woman exhaled through her nose loudly in relief, puffing her chest out in superiority. It seemed that the village's monster knew its place. Then, something intriguing caught her eye, or more precisely, _two_ things. "I'm not surprised to see that _snakes_ congregate with _foxes_, but I would have thought that _dogs _would know better," She hissed.

Naruto's eyes peaked out from underneath his bangs, and the woman squeaked with alarm, bringing her arm before her face as a shield. His eyes suddenly held a look smoldering with hate, and she almost swore that she saw her life flash before her eyes in that instance. The sudden lunge, and hiss, from Kitenhime as she bared her fangs only served to frighten the woman more, causing her to squeak even louder and step back protectively, placing herself between her son and the monster.

When the woman realized her show of weakness, she bristled visibly, scowling and cursing under her breath venomously. She gripped her son's hand fiercely and marched past Naruto, his form still bowed in apology. As she passed him and his companions, she spat. It was a rather large accumulation of spit, and it struck the left side of Naruto's face, much to her hidden joy.

"Come on, baby," she cooed to her son, "There's no need for us to busy ourselves with _monsters_, now is there?" and with that, she was going, her son sending fleeting glances back at Naruto's bowed form every so often, until he was out of sight.

Naruto remained in his bent position until he knew for sure that the woman and her son left. Once they were, he rose to his full height and looked out in the direction she fled, dragging the back of his hand across his cheek to rid it of the spit. He gazed at the clear substance for several seconds before wiping it upon his back pocket, wishing to be within his apartment more so then ever now. Therefore, with a heavy sigh, Naruto made his way through the market crowd and headed towards his home, a slightly faster spring to his step.

As he scurried into the housing district, he entered a brisk jog, but as he ran, he realized something. "What did that woman mean when she said, 'I'm not surprised to see that _snakes_ congregate with _foxes'_?" the tone of his voice grew chilling when he asked, knowing something was wrong.

Kitenhime knew the question was coming, and once asked, she remained silent, contemplating on what she should say. It was a _very_ intimate question, and the only way she could answer it was with, "That's just something you're going to have ask Anko about…"

He grunted in understanding, his mood seriously taking a turn for the worst after her comment. He did not like being in the dark, especially about something as important as this and because of his degrading mood, all he could think about was getting to his apartment and taking a nice long nap to wash his mind clean. That's all he asked for now, a little sleep, maybe a relaxing shower to wash away his sweat, grime, and foul mood, and maybe he could get something to eat as he began to feel his hunger after he left the market place. That would be nice; his stomach still hurt a little bit due to the kicks to his gut and when he vomited.

His new apartment came into view, looming over the other buildings like some rectangular stone giant. Compared to his last apartment, which held sixteen housing areas, this monstrosity was something that caused Naruto to slow in order to admire its beauty. Though his heart still ached for his brother's death, he could not help but be thankful for his parting gift. With an appreciative sigh, Naruto picked up the pace and rocketed up the stairs to his floor.

'_Almost there, almost there,'_ Naruto chanted eagerly in this mind.

He turned the corner, looking forward to his 'Me time'. He barreled down the hall, Nimaru yipping happily, and Kitenhime squealing as the wind whipped against her face. Only one more staircase until he was on his room's floor, and he would be able to forget about what the day held and then, he would be able to _relax_, a word that was almost foreign to him, seeing as his time either consisted by training, eating, and sleeping.

Naruto rocketed up the stairs in record time, bursting through the door that had his floor's numbers painted on it in deep red numbers. Nimaru began to bark aggressively, warranting Naruto's attention; so in response Naruto looked behind him towards the dog. The blonde was about to ask the hound what could possibly be the matter when Kitenhime suddenly screamed in alarm and Naruto suddenly collided, heavily mind you, with a stationary object. Naruto, and the object, tumbled and rolled for several feet, becoming a mess of limbs and shouts, and soon they had rolled in front of his front door.

"Ugh, what the hell just hit me?" Naruto asked himself in a bitter tone. It was then that he realized he was on the bottom of a pile of bodies, judging by the weights on his legs and chest, cursing loudly. "This just isn't my day," he chuckled bitterly.

He moved his hands about the pile as he took notice that Kitenhime and Nimaru were currently a little ways off in a groaning pile just like his own. That could only mean that whatever Naruto just hit was currently on top of him. Sighing to himself in aggravation, his vision obscured by something, Naruto groped around to see if he could possibly find out what was using him as a pillow. The first thing Naruto's hands came in contact with was something wonderfully smooth and round, it seemed to be cloth, judging by the texture of it. The second thing Naruto realized was the wonderful aroma that seemed to emanate from above him.

'_I think I've smelt this before,'_ Naruto mused.

Suddenly, the mass shifted and Naruto instinctively grabbed hold on whatever he could, so his fingers latched onto the surface above him, denting it lightly. As he did so, a squeak came forth. Now, he knew that he heard _that_ before, and recently too. Cursing under his breath, Naruto gripped the mass tighter with his fingers, which in turn earned him another squeak, and shifted his body to sit up straight with whatever he now held in his lap.

Naruto moved into a seated position, the object obscuring his vision slipped off his eyes and onto his lap, thankfully giving him back his sight. What he found seated on his lap, though, made him wish he still had his vision blinded and be oblivious to the heavy objects identity. For there on his lap was the blushing form of Hyuuga Hinata, eyes closed and sounds of pain slipping pass her lips as one of her hands went to massage her throbbing hip. Now it was Naruto's turn to blush, seeing as when he moved he unknowingly made it so that Hinata now sat straddling his waist, a position he enjoyed too much for his own liking, with her arms on his shoulders, making it look as if the two were sharing a rather intimate moment. He flexed his hands again, dreading where they were, and in doing so, made Hinata squeak once again as his fingers massaged the flesh of her rear.

Hinata opened her eyes, much to Naruto's ire, and focused on the young man before her. It took her some time for her vision to focus, but once it did; her eyes snapped wide open and her body stiffened. She fearfully turned her head in order to confirm that she was indeed on her Naruto-kun's lap, and that his hands were currently gripping her bottom. Her head snapped back towards Naruto's face, her eyes threatening to pop out of her skull and her lips making a perfect impression of a fish, only for her to see a rather serious expression on his face.

"Now Hinata-chan," he spoke calmly and slowly, "I need you to _stay with me._ I _don't_ need you to faint, okay?"

She nodded her head slowly, her near invisible pupils quivering.

"Alright then, now, I want you to get to your feet," his voice held the same calming tone as it did from before, "Do you think you can manage that?"

With her eyes never leaving Naruto's, she slowly, and fearfully, shook her head 'No'.

Cursing under his breath, Naruto nodded in response. "Alright," he sighed as he verbally replied, "I'm going to lift both of us up then, so stay with me, okay?"

She nodded her head again, and instinctively brought her arms around his head to anchor her body to his. As she did this, she unconsciously brought her lips near his ear and her frightened, and excited, breaths brought pleasant shivers up and down his spine. As her mind began to lose to the fog of fear and embarrassment, she noticed what was happening. She was currently closer to her Naruto-kun than ever before; well, the day prior was a close equal to this instance, but that did not matter. All that mattered was that she was close to her Naruto-kun. Hinata gently placed her face in the crook of his neck, savoring his scent and heat that radiated from underneath his turtleneck.

Naruto was nearly on the verge of a mental overload due to the closeness between them. She was just so close and she didn't even know she was doing it, which made it even worse. He went to move, but stopped himself; he would probably never have a chance to hold someone so close for some time, so he consciously stalled his endeavor to enjoy her warmth. No offence to Yoko, who he muted once he had left the training ground in hopes of some peace, but the feeling of a _real_ body against his own was something that he could hardly describe. She suddenly shifted her head to the crook of his neck, and in doing so, allowed him to embrace her in one of the most intimate of ways, by definition of Naruto that is.

His mind began to cloud; he subconsciously nuzzled her hair, taking in her scent, just like she, unknowingly, was doing. She smelt like nothing he had ever smelled before, the perfect balance of artificial scents and bodily made scents. His fingers shifted beneath her, gripping her flesh tighter, and he marveled at how small she seemed, so delicate, as if she was made of china. He inhaled deeply again, this time his eyes closed to get the full effect of her scent and to commit it to memory, but as he did so, he heard the clearing of a throat, followed by a suave bark.

Naruto's world melted away in an instant, and he soon found the faces of Kitenhime and Nimaru just inches from his own, smug and lecherous smiles on both of their faces. Blood suddenly erupted behind his cheeks, luckily diverting the flow from his groin, and thus halting another embarrassing incident from coming into fruition, so much so that he soon looked like a black-stripped tomato **(2)**. Their grins and looks seemed to intensify at the blood intake, and they inched closer to him in his preoccupied form, Kitenhime covering her giggling mouth with her tail, and Nimaru waggling his eyebrows.

Before Nimaru and Kitenhime could comment on Naruto's predicament and his actions, he shot to his feet. This did not seem like the smartest decision after he performed it, because with his sudden movement, Hinata gripped onto his body tighter, wrapping her legs around his waist in order not to fall off. Now, Naruto had the heiress of one of the village's most prestige clans currently clinging to his body in a way reserved only for married, or _extremely_ intimate couples, and her close form did not help his growing arousal, or his embarrassment. What he did notice though, was that she was light, lighter than he first thought.

He first thought of shaking her, or patting her bottom to inform her that she could let go, seeing as he did not trust his voice at the time, but both actions were shot down as he noticed that one would only help in his arousal problem, and the other was most likely along the lines of sexual harassment. There he stood, in a hallway lined with apartments belonging to some of the 'cruelest' women he ever met, with a young woman attached to him in such a way that there would be misunderstood. He had to get into his apartment, and fast. He didn't want to think of the consequences of what happened if they saw him.

Walking up to his door with Nimaru and Kitenhime hot on his heels, grins of lecherous thoughts and eyes filled with mirth, Naruto shifted her weight onto his left hand, his lesser hand and weaker one at that, which caused him to grip her rear that much tighter, and began to fish his keys from his right pocket. After some intense digging, cursing, and with a new revelation about women's rears, Naruto finally accomplished his mission and brought the keys out of his pocket. With his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth, Naruto was just able to get the key in the keyhole and unlock the door. Without waiting or ceremony, Naruto kicked the door in and marched inside, Nimaru, with Kitenhime upon his back, following the young man like hyenas following a sickly water buffalo.

Once the four were inside, Naruto kicked the door shut behind him with a slam, and in doing so, brought Hinata back to the world of the living. She gasped loudly, pushed Naruto back at arms length, and nearly toppled the two in the process. Naruto too gasped and moved to redistribute her weight so that the two of them did not fall back to the ground in another painful mess, so for the next few seconds, the two took part in an impromptu dance, swinging this way and that like a man on a unicycle. This left both of them breathless, one out of fear and the other out of exertion.

Knowing that she had 'overstayed her welcome,' Hinata quickly got down from Naruto after unwrapping her legs from around Naruto's waist, lowering herself to the ground. Once she was standing, she quickly backed away from Naruto and began poking her fingers together at an aggressive pace. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Naruto just waved her off while he took off his sandals, wearily noting that he would have to purchase a new pair, seeing as his current pair had a Kunai tip-shaped hole in both sandals and reeked of dried blood, a substance that was near impossible to get out of clothing. "It's alright, it was mostly my fault anyway…," his voice was weary and strained; something Hinata took notice of.

By now, Kitenhime and Nimaru had left the two on their own, thinking that they would only act as second and third wheels; they left, and by doing so, left the two in an awkward silence. Naruto, after some time, suddenly noticed that Hinata had yet taken off her sandals, a sign that she was going to enter his house, and hurriedly said, "Oh uh, you can come in if you like."

Hinata nodded appreciatively, and kicked her sandals off setting them neatly together next to Naruto's discarded pair. As she did so, she noticed the dark stain in the center of his sandals, as well as the identical slit like holes. She turned to ask Naruto what happened, only to see him turning the corner of the end of the apartment's entrance hall. She noticed that his steps were heavy, and that his shoulders were slumped, two things that should never be together when referring to Naruto. This could only mean something happened to the blonde, something bad, seeing as she could only recall one other time when Naruto acted similarly. Giving the sandal one last questioning and a worried glance, she hastily followed Naruto down the hall.

She found him slumped down on the couch in the apartment's living room. His head rested against the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling with a vacant, and almost dead, stare. She took a hesitant step towards the blonde, only for him suddenly sitting upright with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. Now, Hinata was truly worried.

"Naruto-kun," she asked quietly, the slight tilt of his head was the only indication that he was actually listening to her, "Is there something wrong?"

"Why does everyone think that there is something wrong?" his voice was clipped and harsh. "Why do you all ask that to me?" he asked to himself as his shoulders slumped.

Hinata slowly walked up to his weary form, and she stopped just behind him as her inhibitions and insecurity stopped her from going any further. He looked as if she touched him, Naruto would shatter in her hands, like a glass figurine. His shoulders shook as he brought in a quivering breath and as he did so, something within Hinata awoke. Suddenly, all of her inhibitions evaporated and all of her worries and self-doubts been put on the backburners. All that mattered in that one instance was that something was wrong with her Naruto-kun, something self-destroying, and she needed him to release it before it consumed and destroyed him.

Slowly, her hand came to rest on his shoulder. Instantly, his hand sprang up and clasped her hand in a vice-like grip, but she did not flinch; it was as if she was an anchor for him; a lifeline that if he let go would fall into a sea of insanity. Her face did not heat up as he instinctively ran his thumb across her flesh, nor did she faint at the sudden heat of his rough hand; those worries were gone for now, and all that remained was something strange. It was like an out of body experience, however, instead of floating above her body as she thought it would be, it was where she was consciously aware of her movements, only she knew how she _should_ react, instead of how she _was_. The only thing she could akin her feelings to now were those of what her mother most likely felt when she tried to hide something from her **(3)**.

"Naruto," she dropped the suffix, startling Naruto internally, "did something happen today?" her voice was calm, cooling, soothing, as if calming a newborn baby.

His reply was slow, but when he finally spoke, his words were harsh and cold, "Why do all of you want to know?"

She smiled, "Because, whether you know it or not, we all care for you. We all fear for you, and we all worry when you're not yourself." Then, something pushed itself out of her smiling mouth, something that she did not intend to let slip into his ears, "_I_ care about you, _I_ worry about you, and _I_ fear for you when you're not yourself… could you please tell _me…_"

As she said that, his hand tightened on hers, but soon, let go to slip onto his lap, his head held low. Seconds passed with no words. Hinata continued to look upon Naruto with some kind of new power; it felt as if the cage she was in finally broke and allowed her finally to be able to fly freely. Soon, the seconds turned into minutes with still no reply from Naruto and when the silence reached its five-minute mark, she sighed.

Squeezing his shoulder gently, she whispered, "I'm going to make us some miso soup…"

With that, she made her way into the kitchen leaving her crush to his thoughts. The kitchen had a refrigerator, a small over with a four burners on top, a full circling countertop, laden with a bowl of fruit and crocks of cooking utensils, and a two-basin sink and faucet. It was a pleasant and homely kitchen overall, a kitchen that she could see herself returning to repeatedly to prepare meals for Naruto. Her mind soon lost itself in a slight fantasy: her in an apron with Naruto beside her, both cooking a meal together. The thought brought a smile to her lips and a giggle to her throat. She went to retrieve said apron from a hook on the wall when the sounds of mumbling from the other room trickled into her ear.

She reentered the apartment's living room to see Naruto in the same position that he was in when Hinata left. "Do you _really_ want to know what's wrong?" he asked in a quiet, and coldly, subdued voice.

The voice frightened Hinata slightly; it was as if she was listening to a man departing his last wish before an executioner committed his deed, but that did not matter so long as Naruto told her what was wrong, thus giving her a way to help him. "Yes…" her voice was also quiet but serene and calming.

Naruto clapped his hands on his knees abruptly and shot to his feet. He paced back and forth under Hinata's watchful eyes as he readied himself for what was about to come. Hinata also began to brace herself as she saw his footfalls become heavy, his shoulders tense, and his face grim. Suddenly without warning, the dam within Naruto shattered and the flood came undone.

"Do you really want to know what's wrong?" His voice bitter and cold as he asked before explaining, "Everything is _wrong_! Everything that could possibly go wrong today happened! My life is wrong, my existence is wrong, this village is wrong, these people are wrong, the Hokage is wrong, everyone is wrong!" He stopped in his rant, pointing towards a non-existent window, "They're all wrong. They don't understand what it's like being insulted day in and day out and called 'demon', 'monster', 'filth'. They don't know anything about me; all they know is their own fear and their own hatred! Yeah, she was mad; yeah, she was hurt; and yeah, she killed a whole bunch of people, but does that mean that _I_ have? No! Yeah, their loved ones died, but at least they had them for a short while. I haven't had anyone, so where do they have the right to bitch and moan?" He was now panting, but showed no sign of relenting, finally letting everything out.

"Let's not forget about my team," he seethed and spat, his pacing quickening. "I'm on a team with the _worst_ possible people. I'm with the _Uchiha, _who doesn't give a _shit_ about anyone else, who only thinks about himself and thinks that everyone else is a _waste of space_! There is also Sakura-san; a girl that I once thought I _loved_, only to realize that she, too, doesn't give a _shit_ about anything else other than her little _Sasuke-kun_, going so far as to curse out anyone that goes against his _greatness_! Oh, let's not forget that she's a _spoiled little brat,_ who will again curse out anyone that doesn't tell her what she wants to know.

"Oh," he continued harshly, his voice progressively gaining volume. "And let's not forget my _Sensei_! It's not my fault that my father was his Sensei and it wasn't _my_ fault that he died, and it's definitely _not my fault_ that she attacked. Why can't people understand that?" He suddenly pointed harshly at Hinata, her eyes nearly popping out of her skull as her breath hitched, "How would you like it if the man you loved led you on, mind you he doesn't know that you love him, until finally he told you that he was married and happy? You would become enraged, right? Of course!" he began pacing again, "You'd be so pissed that you wouldn't care what happened, as long as the feeling disappeared, as long as everyone understood your pain. Yeah, she didn't know how to react and she did go a little overboard…Get over it! No use crying over spilled milk. Furthermore… uh… hmmm…,"

Turning to Hinata again, he asked quietly, "Where was I before all that?"

Hinata, with her eyes wide and her mouth agape, stuttered out, "Y-Y-Your Sen-ensei…"

"Oh… I was, wasn't I?" he smiled calmly at her, "Thank you…

"Fucking faggot!" he barked out so loud that Hinata jumped, "He had a father, so what is he bitching about? Yeah, his dad killed himself to repent for his shame, but at least he knew his father, knew his face, his laugh, and his guidance. I finally learned who my 'dear old dad' was, and then that bastard drops the bomb of 'Oh, I loved your dad so much, but he loved you more, so now I'm going to make your life miserable.' Oh, I'll show you…"

His voice became depraved and cold as a grin made his face contort vilely spread across his face. Luckily, Hinata could not see it as he was facing a nearby wall. "He thinks he can scare me?" he struck the wall hard at this. "He thinks he can cause me pain?" and at this, he struck the wall again. "He thinks he can beat me…or scare me…or hurt me…," Naruto said, striking the wall every time he talked about himself. "I won't let him win. He can't hurt me…or scare me, or win. I won't let him!" He said, repeatedly striking the wall, mindless of the red stain that was his knuckles.

"Bring it you little bitch boy, I've been through worse than all of you! What's a little more! Huh? What's a little more to the shit storm that is my life! Huh? Bring it! I'll show you all on my own! I have before, and I will now! If no one needs me, than I need no one! So what if Iruka's dead, I did fine before! I'll be fine now! THANKS FOR THE APARTMENT BY THE WAY!" all the while he ranted, he continued to strike the wall, the red now dripping onto the floor, and as he went on, his voice began to crack and break. "So what if you people hate me! Guess what, I HATE YOU TOO! What do you think about that, huh? Your monster hates you too! Does it make you feel good, huh?"

He moved to strike the wall again, completely ignoring the fact that the reinforced drywall was cracked and stained with his blood, ignoring the throbbing pain in his hand, ignoring the prickling of his eyes. All he saw was his face, sneering at him. All he heard was that lady's voice shrieking at him. All he felt were their fists as they struck him with resentment. A hand gently stopped his fist from connecting again with the abused wall by cupping his bloodied fist within its soft shell. Panting, Naruto barely registered the hand, but suddenly stopped when he saw someone stand between him and his assault on the unsuspecting wall.

Her eyes held no fear; she knew that he would never strike her. Her face held no malice; there was nothing to cause her to hate him. Her mind held not inhibitions; it was as clear as a polished diamond, and functioning like a prized thoroughbred. Her slightly smaller figure held only sadness for his plight. She gently slipped pass his defenses and attacked his exposed chest and midriff with an all-consuming hug, wishing for her warmth to seep into his heart and to calm his battered soul. She wrapped her slender arms around his shaking shoulders, her lips just besides his ear as she breathed out. She would show him that he wasn't alone, she would tell him that it was alright, and she would embrace him with all of her worth and more to show him his worth. Instinctively, he captured her in his arms and crushed her to his chest shamelessly nuzzling her hair. She did not mind as she moved a hand to the back of his head and combed her fingers through his unruly locks. He, too, didn't mind, but guilt began clouding his chest as he began to soak her soft hair and jacket's shoulder and hood. He gripped her with a bone crushing force, but not a noise passed his clenched teeth or pursed lips. He secretly felt ashamed; he never allowed this type of outburst to happen before, not once in his life, yet here he was with a girl that he was only starting to get to know, letting loose _everything_ onto her; all of his pain, his sorrow, his hate, his worry, and his everything was bared to her. He tried his best to hide his shame, but she knew; he knew she knew, but he still continued. Another wave struck him, and his body heaved forward into her. She rubbed his back slowly, rubbing circles between his shoulders, and she breathed into his ear.

As she felt him relinquish himself onto her with all of his ugliness and emotional shame, she cooed to him. In all honesty, her heart grew to him; it grew in such a way that as she held him to her, she thought that he, too, could feel it swell and grow, almost to bursting. "There's no possible way that you could be those things: 'demon', 'monster', 'filth'. You're such a good boy," his grip grew and his body tensed, "oh, you're such a good boy," she said, repeating the fact that he was, indeed, a good boy at heart.

"Oh, Naruto-kun," she spoke softly. Suddenly a thought crept unto her mind, and before she knew it, she began singing softly into his ear, just as her mother sang to her when she had been scared and distraught:

**Many nights we've prayed  
With no proof anyone could hear  
In our hearts a hopeful song  
We barely understood,  
Now we are not afraid  
Although we know there's much to fear  
We were moving mountains  
Long before we knew we could **

**There can be miracles  
When you believe  
Though hope is frail  
It's hard to kill  
Who knows what miracles  
You can achieve  
When you believe  
Somehow you will  
You will when you believe **

**In this time of fear  
When prayer so often proved in vain  
Hope seemed like the summer birds  
Too swiftly flown away  
Yet now I'm standing here  
With heart so full I can't explain  
Seeking faith and speaking words  
I never thought I'd say **

**There can be miracles  
When you believe  
All hope is frail  
Its hard to kill  
Who knows what miracles  
You can achieve  
Somehow you will  
You will when you believe **

Her voice quieted. The next verse was always her favorite. Her mother had always sung it so beautifully; she only wished she could do it the same justice:

**A-shir-ra la-do-nai ki ga-oh ga-oh  
(I will sing to the Lord for he has triumphed gloriously)  
A-shir-ra la-do-nai ki ga-oh ga-oh  
(I will sing to the Lord for he has triumphed gloriously)  
Mi-cha-mo-cha ba-elim adonai  
(Who is like You, oh Lord, among the celestial)  
Mi-ka-mo-cha ne-dar-ba-ko-desh  
(Who is like You, majestic in holiness)  
Na-chi-tah v'-chas-d'-cha am zu ga-al-ta  
(In Your Love, You lead the people You redeemed)  
Na-chi-tah v'-chas-d'-cha am zu ga-al-ta  
(In Your Love, You lead the people You redeemed)  
A-shi-ra, a-shi-ra, A-shi-ra... **

**There can be miracles  
When you believe  
Though hope is frail  
Its hard to kill  
Who knows what miracles  
You can achieve  
When you believe  
Somehow you will  
Now you will  
You will when you believe... **

**You will when you believe**

Slowly, his silent shaking receded. What entered his ears had probably been the most beautiful thing he had ever heard as he felt the weight of his soul lighten, if only a little. After several minutes of standing and embraced Hinata, she slowly eased herself out of the intertwined limbs, but she did not disengage herself, rather she moved so that Naruto was at arms' length. One hand was still within his hair, while her other was still pressed against his back; his hands had moved down from their original position near her armpits to rest on her hips. Much to Hinata's worry, his face turned down, away from her own, but she soon let it slide.

She soon slid her hands away from his body, only for his hands to grip her slender hips desperately and an infantile moan of distress and worry escaped his lips. She shushed him and slowly disengaged her hands from the back of his head on his back, only for them to grasp his bleeding hand gently. Without looking at his face, her hand darted into her Ninja supply pouch and retrieved a roll of absorbent medical tape and a jar of her homemade medical salve. She let go of his wrist and began applying the salve gently to his cut knuckles, completely ignoring him as she brought his left sleeve up to his face and focused on him as she wrapped the medical tape securely around his knuckles.

Still not looking him directly in the face, as his face was still downtrodden, Hinata grasped his beaten hand in her own and led them both towards the couch and he followed her without question. Once she seated herself, and once Naruto seated himself directly besides her, Hinata finally looked upon his face. Try as he might, he was unable to erase the stains of his sorrow fully, faint trails leaking from his eyes and down his cheeks were still evident. His eyes were bloodshot, and his pupils were distant. His shoulders, still slumped like before, but this time it was out of physical weariness, rather than emotional distress. Without a word, Hinata reached up and tugged on the cloth that tied his forehead protector upon his head, and once the knot was undone, she removed it from his head and gently placed the metal plate down on the coffee table.

Hinata wrapped her arm around his shoulders and pulled him towards her as she moved him so that his head now lay in her lap as if it did when he napped the day prior in the academy classroom. If she had to explain how he looked and acted, she could only describe him as a manikin or a statue, he just seemed so dead and emotionless. As he lay there, Hinata began to comb her fingers through his hair, electing a low growl from the boy in question. She waited; she knew there was more held within the young man and all that he needed, was some time before he would reveal it to her.

"I don't want to be the Hokage anymore…"

Hinata hid her shock by smiling down at his saddened and bitter face; she suddenly felt like a mother, or his lover, as she did so. "Why is that?" she cooed softly to him.

"Because," he barked as he finally met her eyes. The moment he gazed into their depths, he lost himself. They were so big, so pure, and so innocent. When he realized he was staring, he hastily averted his own eyes in shame of dirtying her pure eyes with his own filthy orbs. "Because, the Hokage is responsible to send those under his command to their deaths…, just like how Sarutobi-sama **(4)** sent Iruka to his death…"

She cupped his cheeks gently, and she forced him to look directly into her eyes full of purity. "You miss him?" it sounded as if it were a question, but in reality, it was a simple statement.

Naruto hesitated under her gaze. It was as if no matter what he did to hide his emotions, she would still be able to slip past his walls and see what he was thinking and feeling. Therefore, he nodded his head, not trusting his voice. Eventually, he finally began to speak again. "The Hokage could have saved him. He could have ordered the on-looking ANBU to advance, but instead he allowed Iruka to die," he inhaled shakingly; "I don't want to do that to others. I don't want to take away someone's Iruka. He was all I had…now…now I'm all alone…" he finished. He brought his left arm up to shield his face from Hinata's beautiful gaze.

"Is that what you think?" she cooed down to him, as his body began shaking as he slowly nodded his head from behind his protective arm.

She giggled softly, and Naruto stiffened on her lap as she did. Almost instantly, he felt himself falling into despair, the first time in his life he _truly_ bared himself to an individual, and now said individual was _laughing_ at him? He moved to disengage himself from Hinata, but a new sensation interrupted him. It felt as if silk was brushing against the back of his left hand, a sensation that felt heavenly to his punished flesh, and when he moved his hand to see the sensations source, he found Hinata gently pressing her lips to his hand. Emotions and disbelief erupted behind his wide eyes. It did not register that her breasts were lightly pressing against the side of his head as she leaned forward to kiss his hand; that was how stunned Naruto was by her actions.

As she sat back up, she clasped his hand in hers as she did so before, and brought her other hand to caress his hair. "Silly," she giggled at his gaping mouth and shocked eyes, "you will _never_ be alone. You have Teuchi-san and Ayame-chan…and you also have me…," she smiled down at him as he slowly shut his mouth and purred into her hand. "We care about you more than you will ever know… I care about you, Naruto-kun."

Weariness began consuming Naruto, his eyes becoming baggy and heavy. With her hand running through his hair and with her warmth beside him, the throes of sleep began to encircle his shoulders. Faintly, he heard himself ask, "Really?" but he was not entirely sure that it escaped his lips.

Hinata gave his lazing hand a firm squeeze before answering him, "Really"

A smile crept onto his face, the same smile she strived to see over and over again. It was so beautiful, so full of life and emotion; a smile that she, too, wished to show the world one day. His eyes began to droop further, his purring becoming a steady hum in his throat. "Thank you," he whispered to her, as he squeezed her hand lightly.

XxXxX Couch; Time: unknown XxXxX

Something delicious was in the air, not Hinata's scent delicious, but edible delicious. It was something that he smelled before, but not to this magnitude, or to this wonder. Oh, but whatever he was resting on, was so soft and comfortable that he dared not move. Just a few more minutes, that was all he asked, just five, ten, maybe fifteen more minutes, then he would rouse himself and find out what the scent was. Unfortunately, his stomach did not see it that way. It roared obnoxiously, growling and rumbling like some type of angered beast. Yes, he knew he was hungry, but the sleep he was getting was just so good, so needed. He rolled over on his resting place and smothered himself with his pillow. Now, that was a scent he recognized and enjoyed. He gripped the pillow closer to his nose and inhaled deeply, his mind slipping back into restful sleep, egged on by the sweet aroma of his pillow.

Suddenly, his stomach roared just as he was succumbing to sleep. With a startled yelp, Naruto fell from his position on the couch and onto the carpet of the living room heavily. "Ugh…" he whimpered to himself, his face plastered to the floor, "not wakey wakey, but sleepy sleepy…" his stomach once again roared in protest, and he grumbled in return. "I swear if that's you Yoko, I am _so_ going to punish you…," he didn't mean to sound sensual with his retort, but Yoko blushed all the same from within her prison. His stomach gurgled yet again, forcing Naruto to his knees.

It seemed that food and nourishment took precedent at the moment, much to his sleep-deprived mind's ire, but all he wanted to do was sleep. It felt good to disappear into the darkness of slumber and awake refreshed, yet his stomach argued that a full meal could do the same thing.

"We'll see about that," Naruto grumbled as he got to his feet. As he stood to his fullest, he brought his arms above his head and popped most of his ill-aligned bones and joints. A sound of pleasure escaped his lips as he rolled his shoulders. The sensations running throughout his body, mind, and soul felt glorious and almost made him whoop for joy.

His mind suddenly reflected upon what he unleashed upon Hinata, and what he allowed her to see. His mind started turning as his eyes darted this way and that, as he looked for the girl in question. Though he greatly appreciated her actions, questions began to form in his mind. Where had her quietness gone? Why was she so straightforward in what she said? What happened to her stutter and meek behavior? These thoughts made the young man wonder if she was ill or if something else the matter. The Hinata he knew was dark, reclusive, shy, weird, and meek. If Naruto had to describe her like an object, he would say that she was like a pet rabbit, whenever you would come close to her, she would back away in fear. Yet, this new Hinata, this confident, understanding, comforting, serene, and beautiful woman was almost startling but in a good way.

Something tickled his nose, something delicious. Now, he had to get his hands on some of that. Closing his eyes and grinning at the scent, Naruto allowed his nose to lead him towards the source of such a wonderful aroma. He soon found his bare feet leaving the carpet of his living room, and onto the cool linoleum of his kitchen. With his eyes still closed, he savored the aroma. If this was what real cooking smelled like, then he wished that he could learn. His mind began to fantasize about glorious smelling foods that he created with his bare hands; he could see his friends smiling and happy expressions, complimenting him on his meal that he created with his own hands. It brought a smile to his face, the thought of bringing others enjoyment from his cooking. Perhaps in the future, he could look into that skill.

His eyes finally opened and what his eyes rested upon made his breath hitch. There was a woman in his kitchen, her back to him, and she was _dancing?_ It looked a little like dancing, but in all actuality, it wasn't since as all she was doing was just bouncing he rear back and forth as she hummed happily to herself. Though his mind had an idea as to who this woman was, Naruto pushed that thought aside as he admired her. Her voice was soothing as she hummed a nameless tune to herself, and for Naruto, the tune sounded familiar and caused a smile to calm his face. She was wearing something that hugged her legs and bottom, which wrapped around her like a second skin of deep-blue spandex-like pants that ran down her legs to her ankles. Something caused Naruto to admire the woman's bottom as she moved it back and forth, his fingers twitching as he did. Though he was never one to ogle women as others did, the memory of how her bottom felt brought his prepubescent thoughts to a simmer. The next thing the observing blonde noticed was the black mini-sleeved shirt, accentuated with a mesh-armored undershirt. That, her pants and matching shirts, mixed with her dark hair and ivory skin, caused Naruto's mouth to gape slightly in awe; it did not help that she had an apron fastened around her waist and her slim neck.

The woman in question suddenly turned from her position in front of the stovetop and allowed Naruto to see what she was so adamantly working on. What he found, was a pot of simmering liquids sitting upon one of the lit burners of the stove, a ladle leaning against the inner rim of the pot. '_So that was the source of the divine scent_,' Naruto rationalized to himself as he continued to look at the woman before him. The beautiful specimen of the female gender had yet noticed him as she continued with her work, her humming growing in volume, and she then moved to chopping vegetables undoubtedly to add them to her simmering pot.

Something inside of Naruto urged him to either embrace the woman from behind, or startle her in some other way, both even sounded delightful to him. The prospect of entertainment heavy behind each thought, however, he opted to just silently settle into one of the kitchen chairs, so as to not alert the woman he was currently observing and admired both her work and figure. It was strange he grasped, he had never once admired a woman. Sure, he performed research on women in order to create his **Ninja Centerfold** technique, but that had been strictly for business, as well as to create such an 'annoying' and embarrassing technique; he never took the time to appreciate the female form. He remembered hearing other teens talk about a woman's form, but the way they described it seemed vulgar and dirty. If what they were trying to do was capture the image before him, then those boys never would know what true beauty and allure was.

It was strange though. This woman was indeed Hyuuga Hinata. What changed the shy girl that she was? Why was this serene and beautiful woman in her place? It wasn't just her actions prior…okay, that was a good part of it, but her standing there 'dancing;' the only way she could, it seemed as if something had changed. However, was the change with her, or was it with him? Was he the one who changed, was he the one who saw her differently, rather than her _being_ different? What could cause the change of how he viewed her, he wondered. Was it the fact that she smiled at him when he ranted? Was it the fact that she held him when his emotions got the better of him? There were too many questions racing through Naruto's mind that didn't have any answers to them.

She suddenly turned to notice him, a warm smile gracing her lips as he sat there straddling the back of a chair, his chin resting on the back of said chair; his eyes distant but locked solely on her and her alone. She giggled at his vacant expression, finding it quite cute how he began drooling with his slightly agape mouth. Quietly walking up to the near-comatose blonde, Hinata took the corner of her apron and began dabbing the corner of his mouth, removing the embarrassing liquid and startling Naruto into focus. His eyes searched around before his gaze settled upon her and eventually her eyes, though before he could make contact with her eyes, his eyes fell upon the writing in the center of her apron. What he saw made his face flare up and caused him to look away in embarrassment. It seemed that Iruka had a sense of humor, if the 'Kiss the Cook' apron was any indication. It also did not help that the letters were on the center of the apron, right where Hinata's chest was.

"I hope you're hungry," she giggled at his reaction and embarrassment, "because I made miso soup and rice."

Naruto just nodded his head with his head turned away. He did not trust himself to keep his eyes trained on her face, rather than looking at the comical apron.

Nodding her head to acknowledge the blonde, Hinata went back to the pot of simmering miso and quickly spooned it into two bowls. She then placed them before the righted Naruto, quickly retrieved two bowls of freshly cooked rice. Once they, too, were on the table, Hinata took her seat besides the silent, and staring, blonde. Naruto gazed upon the two simple dishes with awe. They both smelled so heavenly that he almost forgot to breathe, let alone blink. He just sat there agape, just like when he secretly gazed upon Hinata, taking in every perfect detail and aroma. However, his admiration stopped as Hinata whispered her thanks and began to shovel rice daintily into her mouth, periodically taking a sip of her soup. Even everything she did had no ill feelings or distasteful emotions attached to them. It was truly remarkable.

Quickly saying his thanks as well, he reached for his soup and brought it to his lips. What he experienced would be akin to his first stop at Ichiraku's, pure perfection. The flavors balanced perfectly, the vegetables were not overcooked, nor were they raw. The broth was the correct temperature, and the sensation as it slipped down his throat was one of comfort and homeliness. He was about to throw caution to the wind and devour his part of the meal, when a glance out of the corner of his eye stopped him. Hinata was delicately eating her rice with moderate chopsticks full and quietly sipping her soup between chopsticks of rice. Now, Naruto was not one for manners, if someone didn't like the way he ate then they could just deal with it, but the way that Hinata ate prompted him to follow her example, for reasons unknown, even to him.

Therefore, throughout the meal, the room was silent save for the sipping of soup, and the clinking of chopsticks against plates with the periodical refill of their bowls every now and then. Naruto, soon, finished and placed his chopsticks down, with a silent and oddly nervous expression on his face. Part of him wished to bring up the events that occurred between the two of them, but something inside of him warned that if he did so, then the comfort between them would be lost, and awkward silence would consume them. Nevertheless, Naruto was always one to overcome such feelings, and he always seemed to come out on top, no matter what the scenario.

"Hinata-chan," he hesitantly started as Hinata quickly looked towards him in interest, but said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

"Hinata-chan, I…I want to thank you for…for well everything." He couldn't bring himself to look at her as he spoke, too embarrassed at what he was saying. "I know what I said was kinda…well, _much_, and I want to apologize. I shouldn't have let go like that and I fell pretty—" a finger to his lips stopped his conclusion.

Looking towards Hinata, he found her smiling serenely at him just like when he was lying across her lap. "There is absolutely _nothing_ to be ashamed of, Naruto-kun," she stated quietly, "you of all people should be allowed to complain, to scream, to shout, to curse, to feel pain. It's only _human_ to feel these, and from what I've seen, you're more human than anyone else," she finished with a smile and removed her slim finger.

Naruto only sat silently for a few moments as Hinata went back to finishing her meal. She didn't hate him for releasing his pent up emotions or his actions. She actually was proud of his outburst, happy that he was willing to unleash his woes to the world. She even insisted that was what made him human. She saw him as a human. A smile made its way onto his face, a small heartfelt smile.

"Thank you," his voice was but a whisper, but Hinata heard him nonetheless, "thank you so much…"

She reached out and caressed his hand, "You're welcome…"

A comfortable silence encircled the two once again, their hands never leaving one another. Hinata finished her meal shortly thereafter, and when she stood to take care of the dishes and extra food, Naruto was instantly at her side wordlessly helping her with both the dishes and placing the pot of food in the refrigerator, capped with a metal lid and wrapped in clear wrap, for later meals or snacks. The dishes went relatively quick, Hinata washing, Naruto drying, and a Shadow Doppelganger placing the dishes in the correct cupboards. It both quickened the workload, as well as helped Naruto become more familiar with his new home.

Once they finished, Naruto honestly did not know what to do, the agreement was that the girls would come over to his apartment at least once a day to check up on him and to cook for him. With those complete, there was no real reason for Hinata to stay at his apartment, a thought that caused unease to coil in Naruto's gut. He did not want her to leave, even when he led her to the door of his apartment in order _to_ leave. For some reason, as he watched her place her sandals back on her dainty feet, his mind was racing in order to find a reason for her to stay, her serenity, kindness, and soothing presence helped keep Naruto at ease. Just as she turned the doorknob to leave, a thought collided with his mind, a smile making its way onto his face and giddiness enter his step.

Just as she was about to fully open the door into the apartment's hallway, Naruto's hand shot out and wrapped itself around her wrist, stopping her. "Hey Hinata-chan?" he started saying as he gently pulled Hinata back into his apartment, "I was wondering…uh, would you help me move the place around?" Hinata's eyebrow rose into her hairline as confusion entered her face. Swiftly, Naruto began to explain, "Well you see, I haven't really gotten the time to clean the apartment yet, and I just thought that with you being a girl, you might be able to help me move things around and help me clean up and stuff." Her look remained, so Naruto sighed in defeat and began to alliterate in a solemn and honest tone, "This…was Iruka's apartment…everything was as _he_ wanted it… so I was wondering—"

"If I could help you make it yours?" she finished with a smile, a smile that Naruto loved seeing on her face, and in her eyes. "I would be more than happy to…"

Gently, the apartment's door closed, allowing the two to continue their time together, and for Naruto to forget his troubles and worries for just a few more minutes.

XxXxX Naruto's Apartment; Time: 14:30 XxXxX

During their time together, the two teens completely reconfigured the entire apartment. First, they went and tackled the kitchen, though they mostly just became familiar with where the silverware, ingredients, and utensils were. Naruto realized that Iruka was a man that prided himself with healthy eating, something the young man had grumbled about as Hinata pointed it out him. Nevertheless, the thought of either Hinata or Ayame stopping by to use his fully stocked, and supplied, kitchen brought a smile to Naruto's lips and warmth to his heart.

Once the kitchen had been 'conquered' by the two young individuals, they moved to the living room. They mostly cleaned the area up, placing the papers or books that littered the coffee table either in the trash, or on a nearby bookshelf. Luckily, Naruto was able to nab the orange-bound book before his navy-haired counterpart had been able to and stored it quickly into his lower right cargo pocket. After stealthily hiding the mysterious book, Naruto and Hinata decided to leave the living room as it was and moved on to the main bedroom. They forwent the spare bedroom seeing as it was completely untouched, Iruka seemed to be a man who did not have company stay over, so they decided to leave it as it was. The main bedroom had forgone a complete and utter overhaul by the direction of Hinata. She was the one who ordered where things should go, and how things should be set up, much to the chagrin of Naruto and his small army of Shadow Doppelgangers. At the end of their endeavor, they moved the bed near the eastern facing window, with the foot of the bed exposed to the window's light and view with the head of the bed placed within the corner of the room. They moved the desk to the other side of the room so that it was directly across from the foot of the bed. The night table was set beside the head of the bed with the dresser directly beside the nightstand and with that, the entire room was complete. What Naruto realized was that the room, with most of the furniture flushed with the walls and wedged in the corners, was rather open and large. Naruto just couldn't help the large infectious smile from blossoming across his face at the prospect that his new bedroom was larger than his past room.

Once that task was complete, Naruto and Hinata went forth and began placing Naruto's belongings in the correct places, while at the same time they were taking the old belongings of the late Umino and placing them in boxes. They took his clothes, pictures, and other such things and placed them within the boxes that once held Naruto's clothes, the plan was to bring the clothes to a resale outlet and have Iruka's clothing, clothing too big for Naruto, benefit those that truly needed them. As for the pictures and other personal affects, things that Naruto had no idea how to handle or dispose of, Hinata suggested that they place them within a box and set within the closet, until they decided upon the fate of them. It was a solemn experience for the Uzumaki, the pictures of smiling parents and a young Iruka, small trinkets undoubtedly received as gifts, and photos of past friends and happy times nearly brought another bout of sorrow to the young man, but luckily Hinata was there, her hand gripping his shoulder in reassurance.

Soon after, the completion of placing the boxes in the corner of the bedroom and closet, and after an impromptu pillow fight instigated by the young blonde, Hinata decided to take her leave as her father was most likely wondering as to what happened to her. Therefore, Naruto saw her to the door, just as he did so more than an two hour ago. She smiled, thanked him, and reminded him that if he was ever feeling lonesome or depressed again, that he should call her and she would be right over. She even gave him her personal room number inside the main house in the Hyuuga compound. He thanked her thoroughly, and tried again to apologize about his actions. How she replied shocked Naruto again as she quietly wrapped her arms around him in a soothing hug and told him that there was no need to apologize. What he did was natural and needed she told him, and with her voice in his ear, he truly and honestly believed her. With that, the young woman waved good-bye and disappeared behind the closing door, leaving Naruto waving solemnly into empty space.

"She's a good girl."

"Yeah, she really is…" Naruto replied as he continued to gaze at the closed door.

"Though I don't remember her being so outgoing, Nai-chan only ever described her as quiet and really shy." _'slurp'_

"Now that you mention it, neither do I…"

"Yeah…but don't think I'll let you off the hook because of this…_'slurp'…_ oh, this miso is good!" _'slurp'_

"Fine you can do whatever…wait… That's _my_ miso! She made that for—AH, Crazy-Anko!" Naruto exclaimed as he nearly jumped out of his skin.

Yes, Anko was standing directly besides the blonde man, talking to him as if it was nothing, sipping on a steaming bowl of reheated miso soup. Naruto, instantly, felt the blood in his face drain, and it felt like a lead weight made its home in his stomach, undoubtedly the blood that was in his face Naruto reckoned. She was still wearing the same clothes that she chased after him and his fellow Heroes with; a long tan trench coat, a slightly modest tan mini-skirt, ankle guards, and what seemed to be a full-body fishnet body armor. Her hair was still in a ponytail-like fixture, and her eyes crinkled as a smile split her face.

Naruto nearly saw his life flash before his eyes as she turned to face him. The look she was giving him only promised…something. That something was either going to be sinfully good or really, _really _painfully and embarrassingly bad. The thought of it left a feeling within his soul of worry, giddy anticipation, anxiousness, and horror. Therefore, he did the only thing that his mind could currently process; he ran for his dear life.

He quickly sidestepped her and rocketed down the entrance hallway, fully believing that he had in fact got away from her clingy, seductive, and sensually mature clutches. However, as he turned the corner to enter his living room, he ran face first into a chest, a sizable, firm, and mature chest at that, with Anko. Now, some may be wondering why Naruto 'feared' and 'hated' the woman. It was not in fact that he hated or feared her, but rather it was her actions towards him. Because of this, the blatant actions and incidences of skin-ship Naruto took as invasive, new, and overall 'evil', meaning that he did as his mind dictated to these new emotions and actions, which was it wanted to run away. It also did not help that he secretly enjoyed the acts to a point that startled and frightened the boy; he was not used to feeling emotions of lust and temptations of the flesh, and processed such an emotion as evil and as such, he tried his hardest to either overcome it, or completely extricate himself from the situation entirely.

That was not the case in this situation, for Anko finally got her hands on her little fox. "Why do you run from me, my little Foxy-kun?" she cooed to him as she swung him around by his head. "I just want to play~!"

'_I have a feeling this is going to happen a lot from now on…'_ Naruto drawled in his mind as he was swung around, his face in the woman's cleavage. He had all but reined himself to his fate, knowing that he had no hope of escaping her now, the last battle with her teaching him that much, and so he just stood there, being suffocated once again by a foreign, and new woman's breasts.

"Let's go have some fun with the others!" she shouted, dragging him through the door of his apartment and down the hall.

'_Yep…I have a feeling…' _as she made her way towards the near-by apartment, Naruto just couldn't stop himself from wondering if Hinata got home safely, and why she had not been herself that day.

XxXxX Hyuuga Hinata's personal room; same time XxXxX

Now normally, Hinata would be relaxing in the Hyuuga garden, training in the Hyuuga dojo, or taking part in one of her three hobbies within her personal bedroom. That was not the case in the situation, far from it actually. You see, once Hinata had entered the large Hyuuga compound, something overcame her. She would make no more than three steps before she fell flat on her face, a deep rosy hue to her face with a smile that consumed her cheeks and steam pouring out of her ears. Once she recovered, the same thing would happen five minutes later, she would take another three or so steps before the same 'attack' would happen again. This happened all the way to her personal quarters, until she finally reached her bed where she fell down face first and rendered unconscious entirely.

The reason for this sudden influx back to her normal self was because of what the navy-haired woman's inner self had done. Inner Hinata, once her host had entered Naruto-kun's apartment, instantly noticed the behavior of the young man, and denounced that it could only mean that something very bad happened. What she also knew, was that her host would most likely be unable to help their love interest due to her inhibitions and believed shortcomings. Therefore, Inner Hinata did something that she would not normally do; she waddled quickly over to her host's main emotion power grid.

The power grid's purpose was to regulate and monitor Outer Hinata's emotions, and it helped Hinata operate as she did. There were many gauges upon the face of the large metal device. There was a gauge for love, self-esteem, hate, maternal instinct, envy, hunger, and so on and so forth. Currently, Inner Hinata gazed up at the levels of her host's emotions and saw that her love was high up there; her self-esteem was as low as it could be, her hate was nonexistent, her maternal instinct was also nonexistent, and her envy was also nonexistent, but that would just not do.

Quickly, she whipped out one of her many white marker boards and ran up to the large grid. Moving with surprisingly grace and ease, Inner Hinata pulled a strange cord out of her white board and instantly placed it into the front of the towering behemoth.

_Entering subroutine, _she wrote with big awkward letters. Instantly, the gauges began to fluctuate as Inner Hinata began to override Outer Hinata's entire mental make up. Without warning, the gauges for love, maternal instinct, self-esteem, and understanding shot far into the black abyss of Hinata's clear mind.

The rest was history. With Outer Hinata infused with high volumes of love, maternal instinct, self-esteem, and understanding, she was able to do what she had finally dreamt of doing; treating Naruto with all the love that she could possible offer him. However, the sudden infusion and action of love and understand came with a price, by overriding the original genetic program, all the normal functions were put on hold until the original programming was once again instigated. In other words, Hinata's normal actions, stuttering, fainting, low self-esteem, took a back seat to her latent potential, the loving, soothing, caring, motherly figure, and by doing so, once the subroutine called back all of her normal thought processes; the actions came crashing down on her head like a mighty wave. This would be why Hyuuga Hinata was currently taking part in pleasant fantasies of herself and a troubled blonde.

XxXxX End XxXxX

Moo

**(1) **This will play out later. Got to keep you guessing.

**(2) **The whiskers make the tiger tomato.

**(3) **Ok, this is my own personal opinion. Now, while Hinata is quiet and the like, I personally feel that given the situation she can break past her inhibitions and become something truly marvelous. We saw it during the Pein fight, so why not anywhere else. I feel that Hinata is innately strong, she just has a lot to dig through in order to find that strength.

**(4) **Naruto is currently hating the Sandaime. It's more on the basis that Naruto _needs_ someone to blame. This will be touched on more later so be patient.

A little shorter than my other chapters, but much heavier. I know you guys wanted retribution for Kakashi's actions, but you have to understand this story is not only to be quick fix (or at least I won't try to) and in order for Kakashi to get what's coming to him, it will take some time. Be patient please.

Please review and tell me what you think of my progress. And remember people, 'Do unto others as you would have done unto you', review will taste and helpful criticism.

TTFN

Evilsheeplordthatsaysmoo

PS: you know how some of you voted for what story I will be working on next…well I tried to work on my Bleach/Naruto crossover that you voted for but I honestly could not get it going, so I am sorry(?) to say that instead of 'Welcome Home' 'This is Halloween', a Rosario Vampire/Naruto crossover, will take its place. The chapter is almost done, so look for it in the future.


	7. Fourth Fist: Fourth Finger

Moo

Hello my lovers, my haters, my friends, my enemies, my brothers, my sisters.

Well, first semester to my second year of college is over and it was a bitch. 5 classes, 12 hours of work (I know that some of you are probably like "Oh I work 12 hours in a day" but it was a first for me), and the harshness of the world has made this an interestingly problematic amount of time. Oh, well. It could be worse.

Anyway, I have been struck by a lethargic streak a mile wide and a mile deep. Don't know why. Its hampered not only my fanifcs but also my academic writing as well. This does not mean that I have not thought up new fanfic as well as actual ideas for real novels. Besides that I have decided (once again) to focus on a couple of things when it comes to my fanfics. _Ten Thousand Fists, All Black_, and a one-shot or two every so often will be my focus, now I know that I said I would try to start a new fanfic but seeing as I have barely any motivation to do the fanfics I am are my flagships then trying to start another one is just plain foolish.

Onto my new loves: I have learned to love webcomics! Catena, Las Lindas, Dan and Mabs Furry Adventure, Questionable Content, SNAFU comics, Dreamkeepers, and Jolly Jack's Collected Curious. These comics are great examples of what I would do if I could draw. Damn I wish I could draw. These have also reaffirmed my love for furries.

I LOVE VOORTMAN COOKIES! That is all.

Other than that there is nothing really new in my neck of the woods. Oh, my. What a week/day/month/year so far.

Disclaimer: I own nothing that will be in this chapter/fic. I do not own Naruto, any other anime, or any music that will be seen/heard in this story. What I do own is quite a few sheep that currently look like giant cotton balls will stick legs.

XxXxX Back with Naruto XxXxX

"So where are the others…?" asked Naruto timidly as he sat on the large couch in the apartment, big enough to sit at least three people, if not more. He recognized it as the one that they put him on during the time that they kidnapped and detained in yesterday.

"Hana-chan is at her Vet Clinic and Nai-chan is at a Jounin meeting about the passing Genin teams," Anko shouted from within the kitchen, as she fished around for something.

Naruto watched as she seemingly tore apart the innocent kitchen as she continued searching for…whatever it was that she was looking for. "So, uh…where is the other girl, the one with purple hair?"

"Oh Yu-chan," with that, and her back still to the blonde, as she began throwing random objects out of the refrigerator, Anko made a motion towards the ceiling.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow at the motion, but raised his eyes towards the ceiling nonetheless. As he did so, he couldn't stop wondering why she pointed to the ceiling, it was such a strange and, in his personal opinion, almost retarded motion, but he followed her directions for fear of angering the 'psychotic' woman. What he found on the ceiling made him cry out in alarm and shoot to the other side of the couch he was currently sitting on. On the ceiling, sitting cross-legged, sat one Uzuki Yuugao, reading one of her many books, clad in her usual gray sweatshirt and sweat pants. Her hair was flowing towards the floor, due to gravity of course, and she seemed not to even notice his presence.

"Yes, I am indeed still here," she muttered without looking away from her book, _Complete Idiots guide to the top Ten Government cover-ups._

Naruto just stood there in shock as he stared at the purple-haired kunoichi sitting on the ceiling as comfortably as if it was the carpet beneath his feet. Naruto knew that shinobi were able to do fantastic and remarkable things, but sitting on the ceiling upside-down? He heard stories of shinobi clinging to walls and other such strange and angled areas in order to observe or eliminate their target, but he thought it was either an over exaggeration, or a blatant lie, but it seemed that it was indeed true. He began to examine her with a critical eye, wishing to find her secret so that he too could add that technique into his own collection of skills.

"Naruto-sama," came the voice of the woman on the ceiling, "I take it that you are now an official Genin of Konohagakure no Sato…"

He regarded her as she stared at him from over her book, unsure of how to answer her, or what to think of her. She still insisted on referring to him with the superior suffix of –sama and, although it was not a bad thing, it reminded him that the only reason she did it was because of his lineage, and not for his person. "Yes I am, but could you please stop using that suffix? I have done nothing to warrant it yet, and it makes me feel funny…"

"Aw~," cooed Anko, as she suddenly came up from behind him and draped her arms around his neck, which in turn caused her breasts to rest on his shoulders, "Let Yu-chan be. She ain't hurtin' anyone…"

He looked up at her smiling visage and scowled. He would have turned his head to reprimand her, but if he were to do that, then he would once again get a face full of her chest, an action he secretly wouldn't mind, but then again, thoughts such as those unnerved the young man. "And you," he tried to make his voice as intimidating as possible, but it seemed that it was failing as her cat-like grin only seemed to widen, "Can you _please_ stop with the touchy-feely stuff?"

Her Cheshire grin only seemed to intensify as she leaned her face closer to his, "Aw~ Foxy-kun doesn't like my lovin'?" a _very_ uncomfortable look spread across Naruto's face as she inched closer, her breasts pressed harder against the side of his head and shoulders, "Oh, but Foxy-kun… I just _love_ gettin' all _touchy-feely_ with you…" if there was ever a voice that dripped with pure allure and seduction, then that was it.

Her face drew closer, dangerously close in Naruto's opinion, until she was no more than two inches away. The scent of her was beginning to cloud his prepubescent mind, and his eyes began to drift close and his lips unconsciously puckered themselves up as his body began anticipating what was going to come, the intimate and close action.

The door to the apartment suddenly burst open, cracking the adjacent wood with the reinforced doorknob. In stalked an _extremely_ ill-tempered Kurenai, her hair subconsciously flaring around her as she made her way to one of the lone chairs besides the far end of the couch. Naruto was about to open his mouth in greeting, but when he felt the air around the stunning woman, he felt something similar to what Kakashi's aura felt like, an air of 'Come near me, and I will eviscerate you with a spork and a sake bottle…'

Now Naruto, in seeing that she had an air of death and torture around her, wisely decided to forgo the question in hopes of saving himself from bodily harm. Her current state not only reminded him slightly of Kakashi during their 'exam,' but also when he angered Sakura for whatever reason, and he had a similar feeling in the pit of his stomach when he remembered associating Yoko's actions with the same violent tendencies as Sakura. If he were to place Kurenai in the place of Yoko, though she would be considerably weaker, she could indeed still instill fear and/or horrible torture.

"Oh Nai-chan," Anko said childishly as she craned her neck back, all the while keeping her hold on Naruto secure, thus forcing the young Genin to be pressed into her breasts even more, "What's got your panties in a twist?"

By now, Kurenai sat down in the reclining chair, kicked her feet up, and retrieved a book from the nearby side table. The book had a black and silver cover with what looked like a rose on its cover, and judging by the title of the book, _Unrequited Desires, _it was most likely a romance based novel. It answered Anko's question as Kurenai tipped her novel towards her, and set one of the most powerful glares towards the snake charmer, a glare that seemed not to affect the woman in the slightest, but nearly sent Naruto into an epileptic shock. "Asuma…" Kurenai said darkly before returning to her novel.

This perked Anko's interest, as well as Naruto's interest. Anko because she knew of the past that Kurenai and he had history and Naruto was curious because he remembered the bearded man as the Sensei for Shikamaru's team. A gleam entered Anko's eyes and she leaned back even further, nearly choking Naruto in the process. "Oh? Did he hit on you again," said Anko slyly, waggling her eyebrows.

An unladylike grunt sounded from behind the novel as her slim fingers dented the cover of the book, gripping the book in frustration.

Now, Anko was giddy with anticipation, she was so thrilled that she even let go of her impromptu plushy and focused her full attention at Kurenai. "So he did!" she squealed out, "What did he say? What did you say? Did you crush him? What? What?"

Kurenai growled and looked at Anko over the top of her book. "The prick had enough balls to ask me if I wanted to 'come over to my apartment and 'discuss' the placement of our teams.' He's just lucky that Hokage-sama was there, otherwise he would truly know what the meaning of despair is…"

Anko giggled. It was not often that Kurenai became as agitated as she was now, but when she did, it was a remarkable sight. Now, Anko loved seeing Kurenai like this. She loved it when her best friend let loose her hair and hid behind her books in anger. It was rare and a well-needed release of emotion, something Anko loved doing. She believed that if something angered you, pissed you off, or insulted you that you do not bottle it up inside, but rather unleash it upon the world; if the world pissed you off, then you piss off the world, easy as that.

Naruto was confused, a goldfish looking out of his round bowl. It seemed that there was some bad blood between the raven-haired beauty and the son of Sarutobi. His curiosity wished him to find out why there was such bad blood, and his conscious egged him to find a way to sooth it. By now, Anko sat beside him, an arm draped across his shoulders, sipping a cup of tea that miraculously materialized out of what seemed like thin air. The young man all but ignored her as he focused on the beauty before him.

"If you don't mind me asking…what do you have against Asuma-Sensei?" the blonde asked, not realizing it was the wrong thing to say.

Kurenai again peered over her book to regard the blonde, nearly forgetting that he was there. The way he looked at her almost unnerved her, his large eyes gazing at her with childlike innocence, as if he could understand what she felt or was going through. "It does not concern you Naruto-kun…"

He bristled slightly at her comment, "That may be true, but seeing as how you seem upset about it, it could only mean that something relatively 'bad' happened, so could you please tell me what's wrong? I might not be any help, but I'll try to lend an ear…"

Kurenai's gaze returned to him with smoldering force. If it were not for Anko, who brought Naruto's body close to her own and causing Naruto's face to flare up, then he would be on the receiving end of a powerful, and harsh, tongue-lashing. He would not deserve it of course, but then again, the woman in front of her was feeling nothing but irritation and annoyance at the male gender as a whole.

"Well, we all have pasts that we don't want to talk about…" Anko said wistfully, as she took another sip of her tea, dragging Naruto further into her embrace, "The only thing we can do is learn from it, so that we can make our present, and future, that much better."

Though Naruto wished not to believe it, he noticed that the woman besides him held much knowledge and emotion underneath her mask of insanity. _Just like me,_ he thought to himself, relinquishing himself to her embrace. She was surprisingly warm, soft, and horrendously comfortable, something that he found hard to associate with the psychotic woman. Her softness and warmth was slowly beginning to lull the young man to sleep, something that the blonde both welcomed and dreaded. He welcomed the endeavor because the thought of more sleep sounded appealing to his still tired mind, but at the same time, he dreaded falling asleep against her in fear of what would happen. Last time he lost consciousness around her, he ended up chained to the ceiling and surrounded by scantily clad women, something that he didn't fully mind, but it was still unnerving.

"Ah, that's where you went off to," spoke the small voice of Kitenhime, as she and Nimaru entered the apartment via the front door, Nimaru nudging the door open with his nose to let them both inside the room.

Naruto nearly forgot about the two and quickly excused himself from Anko's clutches, making his way towards the two. "Hey," he said joyfully, stooping down to his haunches to scratch Nimaru behind his ears, much to his joy, and to allow Kitenhime to slither up his arm and onto his shoulder. "Sorry I forgot about you guys. I didn't mean to."

"Well," Kitenhime said lazily as she snuggled up against his head, something he didn't notice, but Anko did, "Considering that you were having such a _fun_ time with Hinata-chan, I would say that I understand."

This comment caught Kurenai's foul attention. She silently pushed her footrest down and closed her book. Naruto had yet to notice her, as he continued to converse with Nimaru and Kitenhime, but when a cold wind chilled his spine and when some unseen form blotted out the light of his world, Naruto knew something was wrong and that something, most likely, was going to lead to pain. He turned, unsteadily, towards the source of the chill to see the tall figure of Yuhi Kurenai. Only one thought crossed his mind as he fell onto his rear in fear and shock, scooting away from the irate woman, only to bump up against the coffee table; this woman was wonderfully gorgeous when she was angry.

"And what, pray tell, did this 'fun' consist of Namikaze Naruto?" her voice was quiet, but just by the tone; Naruto knew she was serious, seeing as she used his actual name instead of his given name.

Something within told him to tell her the truth, a truth that held no convicting evidence against him that would possibly lead to pain and torture if he didn't, so that is what he did. "We didn't do anything!" his voice was small and high in pitch but he quickly continued, "She came over, I napped, she cooked, we ate, we cleaned, she left, that's all!" it was not entirely false, but it was not entirely true as well, but she didn't need to know that though.

"But Foxy-kun~," Anko cooed, interrupting the conversation, causing both the irritable Kurenai and the pleading Naruto to turn towards her as she sat on the three-seater couch, sipping her tea with an impish grin. "You and little Hina-chan just seemed to be _enjoying_ yourselves _so…much…,_" it didn't help Naruto in his plight the way she spoke, or in the way that she worded things just seemed to make things that much more difficult.

Before Naruto could plead his case, Kurenai hoisted the boy into the air, her eyes ablaze with fury, and her hair wriggling around her as if blown around by a mighty wind. She began shaking him back and forth; saying words that were not reaching his ears, let alone his mind. She suddenly brought him closer, her ruby rose orbs staring into his frightened blues, her lips dangerously close to the blonde, unnerving him to no ends. Kurenai whispered into his ear "If you make that little girl cry, I _swear_ to all that is holy…I _will_ make you _pay…_and you _will_ regret it." Her voice was nothing more than a whisper, but to Naruto, it was if she was screaming into his delicate ears.

Naruto fell to the floor in a heap, Kitenhime squeaking as he bounced slightly on the landing, and saw the still fuming ruby-eyed woman. _Yep, slightly beautiful when she's angry… _he couldn't help think to himself as she stalked back to her chair and sat back down. As Naruto sent a questioning glance towards Kitenhime, he missed some movement towards his left, movement and words between the Illusion Mistress and the Snake Charmer. Nimaru came up to his side and nuzzled the boy's cheek in reassurance; he knew all too well the mood swings of women, so when it came to a greenhorn, he could easily sympathize with him. The other part of the problem was that these three women were some of the extreme in the entire village: no woman, civilian, shinobi, or otherwise, could come close to what these four were capable of when pissed off.

Sighing, Naruto turned back to Anko and Kurenai, Kitenhime and Nimaru still by his side as he sat comfortably on the floor. Again, their appeal struck him. He wasn't quite sure how to put it, but Anko had a, how could he say it…'bad girl'…no that wasn't quite it. It was more like the sassy and playful girl next door; you know…the one that would flirt with you, but stay just out of reach. No, that wasn't it either. The only definition, or explanation, that could give this Anko woman was just that, she was Anko; she was not the 'bad girl,' she was not the sassy girl next door, nor was she any other stereotypical classification of the female gender. She was just Anko, plain and simple. Maybe in the future he would be able to fix her with a more detailed and concrete 'label' but for now, he was going to stick with the 'Anko was Anko' category.

Kurenai, on the other hand, seemed to be the mold for her 'genre'. She was beautiful, seemingly protective of Hinata, most likely seeing her as family, and she held a type of coldness around her. Well, the coldness came off, at least to Naruto, as some kind of shield, like an ultimate defense. Just by seeing how protective of Hinata this woman was, it could only mean that she was a kind and well-rounded person. Maybe her coldness, her anger, and her near narrow-mindedness were for an entirely different reason. It was true that he knew nothing of the woman: not her likes, dislikes, or her past, so maybe, for both Anko and Kurenai, his assumptions were entirely wrong; it was a possibility.

He sighed again to himself. Thoughts, theorems, and possibilities began running rampant within his mind again, something that Yuugao, in her aerial view, noticed as she stared intently at her charge. She knew that over thinking things usually led to two things, headaches and stress. That was when Naruto remembered his other plight for later that evening, his date with Ayame. This was something that he placed in the back of his mind, but now, knowing that he was in need of some assistance and expertise, he knew that he was going to have to do something he was going to regret.

"Uh…I was wondering if you girls could help me with something," he started, shaking at the mere thought of asking some of the most chaotic and mentally 'unstable' women how to court another, albeit younger, woman.

"And what's that, Foxy-kun?" Anko asked, as she licked her teacup clean of its remaining contents. Kurenai, as well as Yuugao, was also curious as to what the young shinobi was requesting. Was he going to ask for training advice or maybe advanced techniques?

"Well…," now, he grew exceptionally timid and nervous, especially since he normally never asked for help, since no one would give any, so this was a major step out of his comfort zone. "Well, you see…I have this…this…"

"Come on kid, spit it out."

"I have a date tonight and I was wondering if you could teach me what I should do on it," he spat out hastily, forming one whole sentence into one single word. A few moments of silence passed as the kunoichi in the room translated the sentence.

All was silent for a good while. Kurenai just stared at him from over the corner of her book; her eyes slightly widened at the revelation of what he just said struck her irritable mind and weary soul. He, had a date? Had he and Hinata progressed so far that she, or he depending, asked him out as a way to finally display her affection and feelings for the cumbersome and awkward blonde? She smiled quietly. Good for Hinata, she finally asked the man that she loved out. Now hopefully, this boy wouldn't be a dog, no offence to Hana, and hound her for things that he should not be thinking of at this time. If that boy became like all those other men roaming the streets looking for carnal pleasure and sweet release, then she was going to teach that boy a lesson for thinking such thoughts towards the pure and innocent Hyuuga Hinata.

Anko was again giddy; this boy was just so fun, and he always made it so easy for her and the others to tease him. Now, he was asking for help on a future date…oh, this could be fun.

"I'm surprised that Hinata-chan asked you out on a date so soon," Anko said as she leaned towards the young man, giving him a good view of her chest.

Blushing horribly and trying not to focus on her chest, Naruto quickly corrected her. "Actually it's not Hinata-chan that I am taking out tonight…its Ichiraku Ayame…the waitress from Ichiraku's Ramen Bar."

The atmosphere of the apartment's living room all but instantly plummeted to subzero temperatures. Kurenai was once again to her feet, her maternal instincts kicking in overdrive. She slowly, steadily, and calculated stalked towards the young man as he realized that something was definitely wrong. Naruto once again tried to back away from the infuriated woman, Anko's cackling not helping to ease Naruto's unease any either. She was suddenly upon him, towering over him just as before, but this time her malice and killing intent almost consumed him. He could not fathom why she was so angry with him.

Before he knew it, an angered Kurenai, once again, hoisted Naruto into the air as she shook his body like some kind of rag doll. She was yelling at him for some reason, saying things around the lines of betraying purity, or something like that. He didn't do anything wrong or at least that was what he thought. Maybe it was that time of the month for her. Ugh, all girls during that time seemed to be exceptionally harsh to him, well all but Hinata and Ayame. Hinata, he couldn't even think of her having that time of the month what with her ease and her blatant kindness at all moments in time, and Ayame would just flat out say that she was going to have her time of the month and would apologize ahead of time in case she did anything that hurt his feelings or body.

Kurenai was stopped in her premeditated murder by Yuugao, her hand gripped the ruby-eyed woman's shoulder in a vice grip. "Do not let your emotions rule you," she spoke with spine-chilling coolness.

The woman in question regarded Yuugao with equal coolness. With a huff, she let the young blonde fall to the floor again in a heap, a yelp of alarm erupting from his lips as he rubbed his rear in pain, and stalked back to her seat.

"Yeah, we'll help you," Anko said, breaking the strained atmosphere that Kurenai produced.

Naruto's eyes were alight with gratitude and admiration. "You will? Thank you, thank you!" he barked happily, crawling over to her legs and giving her legs, and in extension, her, a hug.

Anko laughed joyously at his action, reveling in the feeling of superiority, as he groveled and thanked her profusely. "Yep, we'll help you…but…" Naruto barely registered the 'but' as he continued to thank her graciously, "…but you'll have to survive."

Now, Naruto was curious. Attentively, he looked up to her smiling face, taking great care not to look up her tan skirt in the process, and gazed wearily into her eyes. "What, uh, what do you mean 'survive'?" his blood was slowly beginning to run cold as her face split into a bone-chilling smile.

"Your date's not 'til later, right?" with a nod of his head, Naruto confirmed her question, "Then for the next hour, you will have to run from me. Use all of your non-lethal Ninja skills to avoid me and you cannot use your 'Fists'. You have two minutes."

"What are you talking about?" he yelped, rocketing to his feet, Kitenhime falling from his shoulders and onto Anko's lap with a curse as he did so.

"Advice comes with a price, and in this case, the price is alleviating my boredom," she grinned cheekily. She sent a quick glance towards the clock on the wall, "and you now have one minute and forty-five seconds…"

His jaw dropped as he realized that she was serious. This couldn't possibly be happening…_again!_ However, it seemed that it was indeed happening as she rose to her feet; Kitenhime draped around her neck, and placed her hand within his golden locks. She combed her hand through his hair several times; mindless of the looks she was receiving from both Kurenai and Yuugao, and leaned down, still smiling blissfully, towards his ears. She giggled slightly as he seemingly purred at her ministering, not many men would do that if she had her hands on them, rather they would shudder in horror at what she was going to do to them. A warm sensation blossomed in her breast as she thought of how this boy seemed to trust her enough not to be afraid of her as she partook in such an intimate action. _Oh, he'll learn, eventually,_ she cooed to herself.

"One minute," she whispered into his ear and with wide eyes, he was off like a flash, rocketing towards the sliding glass door that led to the apartment's balcony.

Anko cackled as she watched him disappear into the city, sending curses at her once he was sure that he was at a safe distance to do so. 'This was going to be fun' was her only thought as she sat herself back down on the couch. Kurenai did not even try to hide the contempt in her eyes as she glazed at the snake charmer.

"What do you think you are doing?" she hissed between clenched teeth.

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Why are you acting so…so clingy and affectionate? You just met this _boy_!"

Anko sighed at her counterpart's insecurity, "We've been over this…"

"No, we _really_ haven't."

"Oh? So what do you want to _talk_ about regarding Naruto then, hmm?"

Kurenai bristled and sputtered, "Well for one, we've _just_ met the _boy_ not more than a day ago, he is still a _boy _not even into his first term of service, and he is just that, _a boy_!"

"So?" Anko stated as a scowl marring her beautifully sinister face.

"So, there is no _reason_ for you to be _gallivanting_ around with this _child_! What do you think others will say? What do you think others will think? I know you're having your fun and that you don't give a damn about what others think, but sometimes, you can be a little too…too…trusting or blind!"

"Is that what you think?" Anko nearly hissed as Kitenhime tightened her hold on her companion as Anko leaned towards her longtime friend. "You think I'm doing this for shits and giggles?"

"In all honesty, I think you are," Kurenai said as she began to lay the record straight. "I think you're not really thinking about your actions, and just doing these things to satisfy yourself."

"Really?" Anko asked as she sat back on the couch as her friend began saying what she thought her friend was doing.

"Yes. You're toying with this _boy_, and not considering his feelings. You're leading him around for your own amusement," she finished, near panting.

"I know that you don't necessarily like men at the moment, but Naruto is not that kind of guy…" Anko said offhandedly.

"Grr, how can you be so sure? All men can only think with one thing: their dicks! They don't give a damn about anything other than getting laid and bragging to their friends!" the harm and pain that Kurenai experienced earlier was evident on her face, her emotions worn on her sleeve, just like some kind of glistening jewelry.

A snort sounded from the young snake summon as she heard Kurenai's claim. With Kurenai's questioning glare piercing her skull, Kitenhime snorted again and elaborated with a cold voice. "You should be ashamed of yourself for doubting that man! You have no idea who or _what_ that young man is!"

"Oh? And what makes him so different than any other slime that crawls through these streets?" her ruby rose eyes narrowed with her rage as she glared at the snake summon.

"Because," Kitenhime screamed back, "because he has fa—"

"You'll know why I do what I do when you see and hear it with your own eyes and ears," interrupted Anko, clasping two slender fingers around Kitenhime's jaws, silencing the snake summon from saying more.

Kurenai just sighed heatedly as she sat back down, returning to her book. It wasn't that she 'distrusted' the boy, it was just that the boy was young, had the prospect of growing into a raging beast with only sex and violence on his mind, and Hinata already laid claim to the young boy. It did not help that she had trust issues when it came to men, and that Anko tended to leap without looking. Why could Anko not understand that she was only looking out for her? Why didn't she see that the boy could be ruined, or ruin someone else? Why was she the only one that saw the boy's harmful potential when it came to women? He was too young to understand, he was at the age where someone could manipulate him, and had yet to see the world. He was too young.

Anko walked past her towards the sliding glass door, but not before stopping and placing her hand on the troubled woman's shoulder. No words passed between the two as they wallowed in each other's presence. Now, it was Anko's turn to wonder and speculate. The two were together ever since Orochimaru took her under his wing. They had been through the good times and the worst times. Kurenai, it was true, had horrible luck with men, always seeming to find the swine within the crowds rather than the knights. Anko understood her best friend's wariness and slight stereotyping of men; hell, she had the same view of men, nothing other than sex-driven dogs that only thought of pleasure, rather than commitment but she knew, _knew_, that this young man was different. He knew what it was like to grow up within the worst possible conditions: emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically. She still couldn't believe that he went through what most others would consider hell that this earth could create and, for the most part, come out alive and mostly sane.

She squeezed her long-time friend's shoulder. "You gave me a chance once…why don't you give him one…," her voice was quiet and sincere, something Anko rarely did.

Kurenai did not look up from her novel when Anko spoke, and it wasn't until Anko placed a small silver and rectangular object into her lap that the illusion mistress finally showed some kind of reaction. It was a camcorder, a rather new, and not well-known, piece of technology. She was about to send a curious glance towards Anko, but her next words ended her curiosity. "You might be interested in the _fun_ that Hinata-chan and Foxy-kun had…," the ploy was a barely concealed subject change, but it was a needed one, and the current subject intrigued Kurenai greatly.

"Now, if you'll excuse us," Anko stated, sending an infectious grin towards Kitenhime on her shoulder, "We have a Fox to hunt."

XxXxX Kurenai's Apartment; Time: 16:04 XxXxX

Kurenai watched what Anko gave her, flabbergasted as to what she saw. In fact, she was so flabbergasted that anyone wouldn't even find her in the basement of their apartment, but several meters below even that. What she just witnessed via the camcorder that Anko handed her was something that she never expected from either Naruto or Hinata. The pure raw emotions that Naruto displayed, the comfort and maternal instinct that Hinata enacted on, the way the two interacted as if they had been doing so for near a millennia; it was mind boggling, unnerving, and extremely heartwarming all at the same time. Part of her mind could not believe that Hinata, her little darling and shy Hinata actually did those things on the tape. It was near mind blowing, but not only that, but also the actions of Naruto nearly made her fall out of her chair. The emotions that he released, unsealed was more like it, were something that sent chills down her spine. Kurenai had had her fair share of emotional outbreaks, but this, this moment that she saw, was something that put her many terms in the kunoichi ranks to shame. As he screamed, shouted, cursed, swore, and abused that poor wall, Kurenai glimpsed something, something near frightening. She saw raw and unabridged pain. She saw pure horror, pure loss, and pure loneliness. She saw hell; she saw a cold, lonely, hell that Naruto lived in.

She thought she saw hell before, the death of her friends on the battlefield and the coldness of a murderer's eyes as he thought of forty ways to defile you, and then ten ways to kill you, or the weeks and months of solitude as you monitored a target with only yourself as company. However, this, this was a true survivor of hell. Her eyes watered as she listened to his screams, his rage and sorrow. She barely registered Yuugao as she stood over her shoulder, watching the young man's breakdown, physically, mentally and emotionally. It was truly amazing. It was like seeing an eclipse, like seeing a meteor shower, in both Naruto's and Hinata's cases.

Yuugao had stayed silent, watching the tape from a distance, seemingly detached and alone. She long ago shed the peskiness of emotions, or at least she had for the most part, but, this look into her Lord's soul, his inner thoughts and emotions, stirred something within her. She heard his words while Kurenai only saw his emotions. She saw his plight while Kurenai only heard his sorrow. She felt his enemies while Kurenai only felt his hell. Where Kurenai was a genius when it came to thoughts and formulae, Yuugao was a genius of battle, and bred as such by her one time mentor and commander. Bred to follow orders, find the threat of her master, seek it out, and destroy it. Her order was simple: to bring her master happiness, even at the cost of her own. It was that simple, no thought, no emotion, just the master's will. However, this video, this glimpse of events meant for closed doors awoke something within her, something other than obligation or duty, but something deep, near primal even. However, she would need a firsthand account of what she was feeling. Seeing her master with both Nimaru and Kitenhime, she knew that if she was patient, she would gain the information.

Suddenly, the two could feel a ruckus from behind the front door of Kurenai's apartment as they heard shouts and cackles coming from the hallway. Kurenai quickly hid the camcorder within her outfit, knowing that no one, besides Anko in her currently frisky state, would dare to search her _personally_ for the object. What tickled her senses once she focused on the noisy individuals was the fact that Anko was holding a hogtied, and frothing, Naruto slung over her shoulder like a knap sack with a giggling and pestering Hana following close behind. 'Close behind' would not be the correct term, as Hana was actually clinging to Naruto's bound form, causing Anko to showcase her surprising strength, carrying both into the apartment, a grin like none other gracing her lips.

It seemed as if Hana had met up with the two as she was heading home from her Veterinarian Clinic, and knowing Hana, she probably heard the two first. Because of this, she most likely decided to join in on Anko's impromptu chase, thoroughly enjoying herself in the processes. Then again, with the grin adorning her features, how could she have not? Kurenai realized that besides Anko, Hana was another person who changed drastically once this blonde-haired young man entered her life. She was now livelier, no longer sitting on the couch with her figurative tail between her legs, inwardly sulking at what her mother and brother were saying towards her practices and beliefs. Although Hana was a hard fighter, ruthless and seductively destructive with her own strengths and the aid of her three allies, her weakness was that she was emotionally feeble. If it wasn't her brother criticizing her about her preferred profession, then her mother was always nagging her about her relationship issues. A girl could only take so much, but now… now, it seemed as if she was as she should be, mindless of the criticism, the taunting, and the harsh words. She was now just a girl: flirting, laughing, playing, and enjoying herself.

It was all because of this young man, even though it pained her to refer to him as a man, and not a boy, or child. He brought these two women back to their former selves, the selves that she found herself drawn to. Not only that, but also this man stole the heart of her young Hinata, capturing it and holding it within his warm life-hardened hands without even knowing it. It was hard to believe all of that as she listened to Naruto curse both Anko and Hana out, while said women continued to taunt and flirt with the young man.

Once their banter fizzled down to a blushing and fuming Naruto with a smiling Hana snuggling with the young man, the conversation trickled back to the reason the whole chase had commenced in the first place. With Naruto still bound and used as a large plushy by a smiling, and near purring, Hana, he finally got the nerve to speak up. "O-ok, so your fun is done now. Can we please move onto the task at hand, the one where you help me not make a complete fool out of myself on my first date…?"

"You have a date?" Hana suddenly questioned.

"Yes, that's the whole reason I was being chased. Anko chasing me would equal advice for my date…"

"Well, your date's at seven, so that gives us a total of around three hours to prep you for the _fireworks_!" Anko said gleefully as she rubbed her hands together, standing over Naruto.

"I would _prefer_ if nothing exploded while I'm taking this girl out, she's _really_ nice and she means a lot to me…"

Anko, as well as the rest of the girls besides Yuugao, who was back to the ceiling reading her book, quirked an eyebrow at his confession, "So, you like this girl?" Anko asked slyly.

Naruto had the decency to blush and angle his head towards the coffee table as to avert his gaze from the women around him. "She's one of my oldest friends. For the longest time, she was my _only_ friend. She means a lot to me and because of that, I would like to make this her best date ever…" he spoke honestly.

The other women around the room softened at his confession, though he probably didn't know that the young woman in question asked him out for an entirely different reason, but he would most likely find out later. Coughing nervously, not entirely use to emotions like compassion and heart-warming feelings, Anko drew her young toy's attention back to her.

"So, what did you have in mind for your date? Like dinner, outfit, flowers, compliments, what?"

"Well," he drew out his words as he contemplated how to respond, "Most restaurants won't have me," the women took brief note of his dejected tone of voice, "so I was thinking something a little more _personal_…"

"Like a picnic maybe?" Kurenai interjected. Naruto sent her a lukewarm glare as she threw her two cents in, but Kurenai countered him with her own, more powerful, glare, "If you're going on a date, then I'll be damned if you mess it up. Besides, who better to help you then the Ice Queen of Konoha?" Kurenai asked.

"She's got a point," Anko said, seating herself before Naruto on the coffee table, "little Miss Ruby-Red over here is a master when it comes to the stereotypical romantic mumbo jumbo. Hell that's all she reads!"

"ANKO!" Kurenai shouted, as she created a new shade of red with her blush. It wasn't the fact of embarrassment that she was a lover of romantic novels, but she didn't need all of Konoha knowing that she was a hopeless romantic at heart. She was such a romantic that she already planned out her wedding, their honeymoon and what they would do on said honeymoon at one of the many peninsulas high-class resorts in Hi no Kuni.

"What?" she asked innocently, her viper smile in place as she looked at Kurenai.

Kurenai was about to retort, but she stopped suddenly when she saw the Naruto sticking out his lower lip in a pout-like manner, the shimmering eyes, and the innocent face, she stopped.

"Pwease, Kurenai-sama? Will you pwease help me with my date and make my date the happiest girw on da pwanet?" he said in his best childish voice, a good one he thought, and boy was it good.

Kurenai all but became putty in his figurative hands. He was just so cute, even without doing such an act, another thing she would not mention to the others. He was just so hard to deny. Moreover, he made a rather good point; she would be planning a young woman's _dream_ date. She could make this girl the happiest girl on the planet; allowing her to have the date that women only dreamed of having. This was just too good to pass up.

A sudden, uncharacteristic, sneer made its way onto Kurenai's face as she rose to her feet again. "Oh…" her voice was quiet, but louder than thunder in Naruto's ears, "…I'll give you a date that _neither_ of you will ever forget…," and as she said this, Naruto got a chill up his spine.

XxXxX Outside of the Ichiraku household; Time 18:45 XxXxX

Who knew that two and a half hours could be so torturous? Who knew that women could be so insane? Who knew that cooking could be so hard? Naruto learned those three things, along with other important knowledge that he would need for his date with the young and earthly beautiful, Ichiraku Ayame.

Currently, he stood before the side door to the Ichiraku household, clad in a pair of civilian blue jeans that he forgot that he owned, the same long-sleeved black and red mixed turtleneck that he used for his new Shinobi wear, and a pair of Iruka's old civilian shoes, which had surprisingly fit the young blonde. His hair was as rebellious as always, even though the three girls: Anko, Kurenai, and Hana, took nearly a half hour trying to put some order to it.

He shuddered at the thought of those three girls. They nearly tore him limb from limb as they gave him a crash course through Dating 101. Drilled into his head by the girls for two hours were manners, complements, know how, body language, and procedures. Kurenai took the helm as she instructed him of these five things, as she helped Naruto make a three-course bento box for his date. Naruto whined when she told him that he would have to make most of it, but the death glare that she directed at him silenced him instantly. It was as if he was looking into the maw of a great, and powerful, lioness and felt a fear that rivaled the fear he felt whenever his life was in danger.

As Naruto cooked, via Kurenai's orders, the ruby-eyed woman taught him the surface layer of the female mindset. She educated him in several things, but most importantly, she made him understand how women interpreted things. Such as when a man mentioned an old love interest in passing, the woman would take that as a questioning of her abilities and take it as an offence. She also told him that woman may think that courtesy is sweet, but if a man coddled a woman too much, she would think that the man thought she was fragile and always in need of help. He sighed at the headache that Kurenai brought on, but that was then, and this…this was now. This was the decisive moment: do or die, sink or swim, eat or eaten.

Gulping, Naruto shifted the weight of the basket that was under his arm. The basket was a traditional picnic basket, woven with a wood-like material, light tan, and double lidded. A dark blue blanket lay over the two lids and underneath the double handles; Kurenai suggested that they would need the blanket later during the date; she also mentioned that the blanket would serve as a vital role in the significance of the date's memory, so Naruto just nodded and did as told. Inside the picnic basket was a red and white-checkered picnic blanket, the prepared three-course bento, a thermos of tea, and a small tub of Neapolitan ice. As he did a mental checklist of the contents, and a brief overlook of the date plan, a plan created, orchestrated, and edited by Kurenai. Naruto took one final deep breath, calmed his shivering nerves, and knocked on the worn wood of the Ichiraku household's side door.

He waited for several seconds within the alleyway. While the Ichiraku's had an entrance through the Ramen Bar, the other 'main' entrance was in the alley to the right of the Ramen Bar. Even though it was a two-story building, only the Ichiraku's lived there, something that Teuchi thanked God daily for, for he would have hated to deal with both the storefront business as well as tenants. Therefore, Naruto waited patiently, his heart desperately trying to rip through his ribcage and return to his apartment to hide under his bed. Never in his life had Naruto been this nervous. Sure when he took his first three failing Genin exams, he was nervous, but this…this was on a completely higher tier of existence compared to that.

There were noises on the other side of the door: laughter, shouts of irritation, shuffling of feet, and soft words. The clattering of the doorknob and the creaking of the hinges signaled Naruto that the door to his new 'adult' life was opening and ushering him into its seductively smooth clutches. As the door opened, it revealed a dark hallway with a small side table and full-length mirror leading into the house, but what caught Naruto's attention was the figure blocking the doorway. When he saw her in her black mid-thigh length skirt, white sleeveless button up blouse, and free hair, he almost forgot to breathe. This was _definitely_ not the same Ayame he saw when he visited Ichiraku's Ramen Bar on a daily basis. This girl was…_amazing._ She stole his breath from his lungs, she robbed him of his focus, and she kidnapped his mind.

She was beautiful; her hair, no longer held within its normal ponytail, but rather fell around her shoulders and pooled just between her shoulder blades was like a chestnut silk scarf. Her skirt revealed smooth, most likely freshly shaved, legs that were perfectly straight and proportioned. Her blouse showed off her slim and slender arms as well as her bust, something that Naruto nearly forgot she had. Her face had a light amount of blush on it, her lips shown in the dim light as if glossed, and her eyes seemed to pop from her face due to the eyeliner framing them. Naruto could not stop his mouth from hanging open as he gazed upon her refined form, awed that the girl before him was the same girl that served him ramen and laughed with him when he was young. How could he have not noticed that she was now a wonderful beauty? How had he missed her blossoming? Yes, he was a little dense when it came to women, but this was ridiculous.

Her face was down turned and a deep shade of red; it seemed that the reaction she got from Naruto made her slightly embarrassed. She, too, approved of her date's attire as the blush deepened as she inspected Naruto. The jeans he wore were a nice change of pace, and the way that the pants sat securely against his hardened frame nearly made Ayame drool. His shirt, even though it was the same shirt he started wearing usually, also seemed to bring a mental smile to Ayame's face, as his body teased her with the hard torso of her date and the way that his hair framed his face…oh yeah, she was a _very_ happy girl at the moment.

Now, if someone was to look into the mind of Ayame and see such thoughts drifting through her mind, then they may have been startled, wondering how such a pure and innocent girl could suddenly think of such impure things. The truth was that Ayame truly and deeply cared for the young blonde; he was one of the only males in her life who did not constantly hit on her. He was sweet, kind, and never once hit on her or tried getting into her pants. He had seen her through when she was sick, PMSing, and overall pissed, and had never said anything about it. This was both a good thing and a bad thing at the same time; on one hand, it was good that he respected her enough not to try to seduce her, but on the other hand, it showed that he did not see her in an attractive light. Hopefully, this date would change that.

It took several seconds for Naruto to pick his jaw up from the floor, but once he did, he nearly lost it again. He tried to form sentences, he truly did, but when Ayame took a short-sleeved jean jacket from off a hook and proceeded towards him, he nearly lost it again. This Ayame was _definitely _not the same person with whom he did business. She strode up to him, a slightly swagger to her step, and when she finally reached Naruto she leaned forward. She was nearly a head taller than Naruto and her slight high-heeled sandals did not help in the slightest. When her lips were beside his ear, she whispered, "You're drooling Naruto-kun~"

Indeed he was. It was only a small smidgen of drool, but the setting sun made it easily seeable. Hastily, he wiped it off with the back of his hand as Ayame covered her own mouth as she giggled. Once Naruto thoroughly cleaned the drool off, Naruto beamed up at Ayame.

"You are…you are…," he could still not make complete sentences, but Ayame waited patiently as he finally completed one.

After taking several deep breaths and with a surprisingly calm smile, Naruto finally placed words together into a complete sentence. "You look absolutely fantastic, breathtaking," he all but whispered to the blushing woman before him. "Wow."

"Well, I'm glad you like how I look," she said with another giggle, "and I have to say: you don't look half bad yourself, stud," she finished, adding a wink for good measure.

Now it was Naruto's turn to blush at the complement of his own looks. It was not often that people complemented him on his looks, the lack of acknowledgment actually doing a number on his self-esteem. By having someone saying that he was attractive was something far out of his comfort zone. When he finally brought his blushing face up to confront Ayame about their date, he saw Teuchi leaning against the doorframe of his house, clad in civilian clothes and grinning widely. Ayame turned at Naruto's wide eyes to see her father taking calculated steps towards the two, both having a slightly fearful look on their face.

Once he was standing in front of Naruto, Ayame stepping to the side as her father approached, he placed a kind hand on the young man's shoulder. "You have fun tonight, you two," he said as he squeezed the blonde's shoulder, and then hugged his daughter. "Curfew is at 11 o'clock, so I would like to have Ayame home before that. Other than that, anything else is ok." He then stroked his chin, missing the blushing faces of Naruto and Ayame at the prospect of _anything_, "Well, ok not 'anything', but you know what I mean…" he finished as he rubbed the back of his head at his mistake.

Large beads of sweat grew on the back of both of the young adult's heads at the actions of the older man. It was hard to think that this man, on occasion, could instill fear in the hearts of rambunctious, disrespectful, or crass men and women who entered his shop. Moreover, Naruto knew that fear; once a pair of older teens were both hitting on Ayame rather crudely, as well as insulting Naruto in ways that would cause a lesser man to dissolve into tears, and as a result, Teuchi released an aura so fearsome, horrible, and terror inducing that Naruto had nightmares for days afterwards. He silently shuddered at the idea of having that aura directed at him.

Naruto straightened his shoulders as he stood before the elder Ichiraku. "I promise you right now Ichiraku Teuchi," Naruto said with a surprisingly convicted and deep voice, "that I will do only what would be good in your sight. I will have Ichiraku Ayame back to this very door at the stroke of 11, and not a minute later."

Teuchi took some time to consider the young man and his fine words. The boy meant what he said, that much was easy to divulge. If it were any other man taking his daughter from his sight…well, let's just say that even a team of Inuzaku's and a fully equipped squadron of ANBU would have difficulty in finding _all_ the remains. He had full faith in this young man, and he knew that this man would not let him down. He would show his daughter an unforgettable night, not sexually wise. He knew that Naruto would be unable to even _make_ himself do something like that now, but he would show her a night of splendor, of glitter and fun.

Nodding to the blonde in blessing, Teuchi made his way back into his home, closing his door with a secure and definite _'click'_. Both Ayame and Naruto released breaths of hot, condensed air, not knowing they were holding them, both thinking something along the same lines of, 'Oh God that was scary…' in their heads. They turned to each other, small pants of breath entering and exiting their lips, and before long, small grins formed across their faces. With a new air of confidence, the same air she had before her father gave his instructions and hidden warning to her date, Ayame strode up to Naruto and wrapped herself around his arm before he could protest, anchoring herself to her date before he could shake her from him.

"So…," her voice was quiet in his ear, as she allowed her mind and body to slip into 'Date Mode', "What do you have planned for us tonight?"

Naruto stuttered as he became acquainted with his date's closeness, and the feeling of her young body against his. It took him several tries to realize that his mouth would not form words, so instead of talking, he stiffly moved his arm which was holding the picnic basket, so that it gained Ayame's attention.

She eyed the basket with anticipation, almost giddy anticipation, her eyes flashed with an inner smile and her lips broke apart with an actual smile. Her dazzling white teeth shone in the setting sun, and she quickly turned to face Naruto with glee. "A picnic?" she asked. All Naruto could do was nod in response. Her grip on his arm grew as she mentally cheered. "And where, oh fine date, are we to be heading?"

"T-t-to the Hokage m-m-monument," Naruto finally got out.

The grin on Ayame's face only grew in intensity as she took in that new bit of information. Usually, the monument did not enter people's minds when they thought of as a romantic setting; the reasoning behind it was that the walk up the long and winding stairs would hamper the romantic atmosphere. Nevertheless, that was for civilians who weren't currently on a date with a Shinobi. It also helped that he had those, oh so handy 'Fists', but the thought of her in the arms of someone other than her original date did not settle to well in Ayame's mind. Instead, she just clutched his arm tighter and steered him towards the street.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" she asked quietly in his ear, "Let's hop to it!"

Naruto could only nod in agreement, as she half dragged him out from the alleyway and towards the large mountain considered the Hokage Monument. The mountain was indeed a mountain, maybe not like the towering Titans found in Kumo, or the silent forms that surrounded Kiri, but this lone and singular explosion of rock and foliage was definitely a mountain. It was actually a little strange, Naruto commented to himself as he subconsciously led Ayame towards the monument. Out of an enormous forest, there was one lone mountain. Why was there this mountain in the middle of this massive forest? Why was this village next to it, for protection? No, that couldn't be, the mountain was only about one and three quarters of a mile wide, and about two and a half miles long. It was more like that giant rock found in that large island nation far past Kiri. Airs rock, was it called? Regardless, it was a wonderful thing. It was like their massive sentry, ever watching, ever waiting, and with the faces of the villages past great Hokages on it, it only made it seem that more protective.

Ayame did not say a single word once they entered the street, but still clung to his arm like a lifeline. It was smart of her to do so; they were currently entering twilight, the time when men and women of the older generation foraged out into the taverns and streets to take part in relaxation and pleasure. This nightly atmosphere was dangerous to Naruto, and Ayame kept that in mind as they made their way to the monument's long and winding staircase. She may not know why exactly the men and women of the older generation hated him, but she saw enough of the emotional scars that he wore to know that bringing attention to them now would most likely be a bad thing to do.

By now, in their silence, the two finally reached the foot of the tall staircase. Looking up as if leading to heaven, the staircase slightly intimidated both Ayame and Naruto by is massive height and the sheer size of it. They were supposed to climb each step in order to reach the top, as if. Now, it was the time to set the pre-thought plan into action. Many of the things driven into Naruto by Kurenai were manners, women treatment, and other such things that would make the date go along smoothly and effortlessly. It also helped that Kurenai took the time to plan the date from start to finish with potential dialogue no less. This was the moment where Naruto was truly to begin the date.

Turning to the woman besides him, and taking a deep calming breath to steady his nerves, Naruto bowed majestically to Ayame stating, "It would honor me greatly if you would permit me to carry you to our destination, milady," he said, with a deep and masculine sounding voice.

Ayame, who placed her short-sleeved jacket on, quirked a happy eyebrow at the tone of his voice and actions, pleasantly surprised at his course of action. Now, this was not Naruto in the slightest. Usually, he was flamboyant, harsh, exuberant, and slightly clumsy, but this chivalrous attitude, though also something that Naruto did, though not as sturdy and solidly, was appreciatively new. She smiled at his bowed form and followed his lead into the throes of classical human interaction.

"And how, oh prince of mine, would you carry me to our destination?" she countered as she, too, took on an elegant and suave tone of voice. "Surely, you don't mean to carry me over all these tedious flights of stairs? That would be far too ghastly to ask of you. Furthermore, with your arms as full at it is, how can you possibly hold one such as me?"

Happy that Ayame took the initiative to play along, Naruto rose from his submissive posture and offered his free hand to her saying, "I do intend to, and don't call me Surely," he joked to her, then he continued. "My dear, I would not ever think of you tiring before the main events were to begin, that would just be unbecoming of a man such as I. As for my hands…" he quickly preformed a quickly flash of his hands, and another Naruto appeared, identical to the first, "I can easily create an army, so I will never have to worry of such things. Now, would you do me the honor of allowing this lone gentleman to carry his fine princess to the top of these treacherous stairs?"

She smiled and curtsied in her skirt, like the maidens farther inland were said to do, and waited for Naruto to take her away. What Kurenai had instructed next was that "If she's wearing a skirt, for the love of God _don't_ piggyback the girl. Doing so will allow on lookers to see up her skirt, and there is no greater humiliation than having a man you don't know ogling your panties." When he asked how he should carry the young Ayame, Kurenai motioned for Hana and Anko to demonstrate 'bridal style.' The hold was where one drapes the other between their arms as they held them in front of them. It was a rather fun display, as Hana snuggled into Anko's impressive chest, but, as Kurenai explained, if Ayame was held in such a way, it would help deter the possible panty shot, if only a little.

Therefore, after handing the picnic basket and extra blanket over to the Shadow Doppelganger, Naruto flashed into movement and literally swept Ayame off her feet. She squealed with glee as she was lifted and giggled as Naruto, with Doppelganger in tow, rocketed up the stairs and bounced from one handrail to the other as he made his assent. One thing the blonde noticed as he made his way to the top of the monument, was that Ayame was surprisingly light and delicate.

_Are all women like this?_ Naruto wondered to himself as Ayame looped one of her arms around her date's neck, and pressed her face to his chest. _Are even Anko-san, Yuugao-san, Hana-san, and Kurenai-san delicate like this?_ He continued thinking as he jumped the last ten feet of his journey, a final thought came to his mind,_ Why are they so delicate?_

Silently, he and his Doppelganger landed upon the top of the monument, a giddy and bouncing Ayame leaning against the original's chest, and a picnic basket in the Doppelganger's hands. With a sigh, Naruto placed Ayame back on the ground. She landed on her feet, and quickly shot out and began spinning around and around in joy, like an ecstatic ballerina. As she spun, she sprouted out words of awe and gratitude as she described the flight to the top of the Hokage monument. She was saying things like 'No wonder you shinobi have so much fun' and 'Now, I wish I had become a shinobi' and finally 'So that's what it is like to fly'. As she continued to twirl and whirl about with childish glee, Naruto called over his Doppelganger and gave it some quick instructions. Once the Doppelganger nodded in understanding, the original Naruto walked towards the enthusiastic Ayame to distract her, as his Shadow Doppelganger set forth to prepare their dining area and picnic.

As Naruto reached her, the young woman took a turn a little too quickly as she nearly shouted how the wind felt against her skin and in her hair, as she tumbled towards the ground. Thinking quickly, Naruto caught her with his superior shinobi training, and as he helped her back to her feet, he finally saw how thrilled she was with the simple mode of transportation that shinobi used effortlessly to get from point 'A' to point 'B'. Her face was aglow with so much joy that one would have thought that someone just asked her to be a bride. A good-natured chuckle escaped Naruto's lips as Ayame clung to him and asked him questions about his abilities and techniques in the Shinobi Arts, asking him if he did that sort of traveling all the time. All Naruto could do was smile and answer all of her questions about his skills, as she showered him with awe and admiration.

Suddenly, the sound of the Shadow Doppelganger dispersing himself brought the attention of Ayame and Naruto to the perfectly laden picnic blanket. Ayame whistled softly as she came down from her flying high, inspecting the picnic spread that was ready for their consumption.

"Wow, you really went all out now, didn't you?" Ayame asked in an awed voice as she saw bentos brimming with rice, seafood, beef hamburger, stir-fried vegetables, boiled eggs, deep fried shrimp, fish, and other things that her mind could not name. Not because she did not know what they were, but because she was too thunderstruck at the knowledge that Naruto had in fact made it all, and for her no less.

"Well," he said sheepishly as he scratched the back, "I wanted to make this date memorable, so I thought going all out would be a little price to pay…"

While he talked, he took her hand and led her towards the prepared picnic. As she got closer, she realized that the extra blanket was unfolded as a makeshift pillow for the two to sit on as they ate their meal together. Another thing she noticed was Naruto motioned for her to sit where there was no wind in the air, but even without the extra breeze, the heavenly scent of the meal drifted through the air like an intoxicating perfume. Ayame inhaled deeply as Naruto served her some tea out of a thermos and reveled in the smells of the meats and the vegetables as they mixed in the air.

Ayame smiled as she accepted a cup of tea from Naruto and took a sip of it with another sigh. "Delicious," she said, as she sat back down on her knees and took in the sight of the food once again.

"Thank you," Naruto replied bashfully, as he, too, sat back besides her, his legs folded haphazardly in front of him. He then produced a plate and began to place a little of everything on it from the many bentos before handing the readied plate to Ayame, who accepted it with a wistful 'Thanks'.

They ate their meal in relative silence, only speaking here and there when they felt obligated too. Overall, the meal was uneventful, yet very pleasant for both of them. It was also nice to learn that Naruto was capable of humane manners when in the company of a woman; for he ate his meal with relative cleanliness and finesse, that Ayame never saw before. One thing nagged Ayame in the back of her mind, though, and that was how Naruto came up with the idea of a picnic, as well as cooking such wonderful food. Now she did not mean to, but Ayame knew that Naruto was not the 'fluffiest sheep in the flock,' and for him to come up with such an idea would be nearly impossible for him. There was only one question she needed answered. Who helped Naruto with the planning and cooking?

"So," she started nonchalantly as she sipped on her tea, having finished with her meal some minutes before, "who helped with the food?"

Naruto nearly choked on a piece of deep-fried shrimp. His mind began to spiral down as he stole fleeting glance at the slyly smiling woman besides him. What was she going to do, now that she knew it was not _solely_ him that made the meal? What was she going to do when she found out that he had help in his endeavor by a multitude of older women? Now that was the thought he truly feared. Naruto saw how Sakura reacted when other women were trying, or were involved, with her 'love', and that was not a pretty sight. Therefore, should he lie? No, lying was never good because eventually, Ayame would find out the truth and most likely beat him within an inch of his life. Should he try to use his shinobi training and sidestep the question? No, that wouldn't do either; Ayame knew him too well, so she could easily uncover when he was trying to avoid a subject.

That only left one other alternative. "Well, I did have a _little_ help…"

"Oh?" she said, with an air of command. Knowing that she had him now, she was going to enjoy it, enjoy watching him squirm under her gaze.

"Yeah…" he was beginning to sweat now. She was giving him one of her stares, the stare that told him that she wasn't going to let up until she knew everything she wanted to know.

"And, who are they?"

Naruto shivered at this statement. Now was the moment of truth; either she would yell at him for bringing another woman, or set of women in his case, into their 'personal time,' or she would…no, that was pretty much the only outcome…

Sending a brief prayer to God, Naruto resigned himself to his fate. "Some of the girls in my new apartment floor decided to help me with my…our date…," he braced himself for the emotional onslaught that was to come.

Ayame was silent as she continued to sip on her delicious tea, and before she could make her reply, Naruto hastily interrupted saying, "—they did help me, like with the ideas of what to do, but Kurenai-san made me do all the work! She only helped when something was going _really_ wrong! Like when the first batch of rice caught fire, or when I kept on stepping on Yuugao-san's toes, or when Anko-chan tried dragging me off somewhere to tell me something about 'after date excursions'…"

Ayame was now slightly surprised. Naruto had, in fact, done all the work, and only required assistance when the time called for. She smiled into her teacup, taking some precious time to allow Naruto to fear for his life as she enjoyed the show. It was good to know that the Naruto before her, the one that had help planning their date, was still the clumsy and foolhardy Naruto she befriended all those years ago.

Feeling that Naruto suffered enough, and feeling that she should finally commend him, Ayame placed her teacup on her empty tray of food and turned to address him with a kind and heartwarming smile. "Well," she started, "I guess I will have to thank these girls for helping my _precious_ Naruto-kun in making this one of the best dates I have ever had the _pleasure_ of taking part in." She also couldn't help but giggle when Naruto released a breath he did not know he was holding.

Hearing her giggle also made Naruto chuckle, and before long the two of them were laughing good-naturedly. To Naruto, it was finally good to have some normalcy, no psychotic Senseis, no tidbits about his dead family, no emotional breakdowns, no chases, and none of the insane women teaching him manners, educate, or chivalry; it was just a normal day with normal people doing normal things, and for that, Naruto was happy.

Ayame was happy as well, as she soon started leaning against Naruto as they laughed. Naruto was back to normal, or as normal as one of the most surprising people in Konohagakure no Sato could be. He wasn't depressed, worried, downtrodden, or angry. He was himself again: laughing, telling the truth, and being funny. He was now the man she loved. Yes, she loved Naruto. Maybe not to the extent that lover's loved each other, but she loved his jokes, his laugh, and his smile. She loved how he worried about her when she was sick, or when she was on her time of the month. Furthermore, it was how he would come by and just talk, asking her how she was doing, or asking if there was anything he could do for her that made her fall in love with him. He was the man that cared for her, not her beauty or her body, but her as an individual. He was her family, and she loved him dearly.

However, the thought of love irked the question of a deeper love. Would there be a day that she would fall head over heels in love with Naruto, like the Hyuuga heiress had, and if she did…what would happen? Who would get the blonde? Would Hinata lay claim to him and wish never to let go, or would she beat the lavender eyed woman to the punch and take the blonde for her own?

What did Naruto want; that was the true question. What did Naruto want in life? Did he want a girlfriend later? Did he want her…or Hinata? Did he want someone else? Like Sakura or that Ino girl…or, maybe even more shocking, would he want an older woman like the Kurenai woman he mentioned earlier? What about that Yuugao woman or that Anko woman, would he want them? Maybe, he didn't even want a woman at that point in time. Maybe he wanted to focus on his training and not wish to have a significant other.

The thoughts swarming in her skull were beginning to form a headache just above her right eye, so she ceased such thoughts and just enjoy her date's warmth. Luckily for her, Naruto had yet realized that she was currently using his shoulder as a makeshift pillow as she gazed out into the setting sun. The thing was, if Naruto realized that they were partaking in an 'intimate' moment like this, then his natural reaction would most likely be that of horror and overreaction. It was something that Ayame found endearing, but at the same time, she would curse mentally and wish that the blonde would 'grow a pair' and actually understand that some women, in fact, did not mind it when he entered their personal bubble. In fact, some women, Ayame and the young Hyuuga heiress included, would most likely welcome it. Now, with her leaning against his surprisingly firm shoulder and with him not losing his head at the close contact, Ayame couldn't help but smile blissfully.

Now this was a date, she mused to herself. She made a mental note to personally thank this Kurenai woman; it seemed that she was the head of the date planning operation and everything that she planned, assuming that this woman had in fact did most, if not all, of the planning rather than just the food preparation. However, even that thought brought the impending headache closer to crushing her. She just sighed again and refocused her attention on the sunset.

"Well, I have to say, Naruto-kun," Ayame said as she gazed out onto the growing shadows of Konoha, "this is a mighty fine way to end a date…"

Naruto, lucky that Ayame couldn't see his face, both grimaced and smiled. The reason for the grimace was that he just realized that Ayame was leaning against him in a rather _loving_ and _cherished _way. Now, Naruto did not mind the closeness, in fact he welcomed it. However, when all of your past memories involving closeness, or attempts on getting close, ended with a harsh bump on the head and a bruised and battered heart, it was understandable why Naruto would suffer from brief fits of insanity when he accidentally bumped and/or touched a young woman. The reason why Naruto was also smiling during his grimace was that he was truly happy Ayame was enjoying herself, and that's all Naruto could ask for.

He smiled to himself for a moment, allowing himself to wrap his arm around the bare shoulder of Ayame, who took her coat off once the picnic began, and as he gazed out onto the village, he couldn't help but send a silent 'Thank You' to Kurenai for her planning. She did indeed know what she was talking about when it came to making a girl happy on a date, if Ayame's reaction were any indication. He had to admit though; some of the girls had a rather _unique _way of teaching him things about women and mannerisms.

Kurenai tried teaching him proper dinner etiquette while forced to make the dinner that they enjoyed. Luckily for Naruto, Kurenai was a good cook and knew not to throw water on an oil fire, otherwise her apartment, and probably all the others on the same floor, would have gone up in flames. It was actually creating the food that took up the most time, if he remembered correctly. The ruby-eyed woman was a slave driver, but she was also a kind one; when he made a mistake of adding powdered sugar instead of flour to the breading for the shrimp, she had disciplined him. However, she did so with a calm voice and a light tap on the head with a wooden spoon. As he observed the woman's teaching practices, he mentally thanked her, again, because he saw that she would in fact make a good Sensei for his 'newer' friend, Hinata.

However, while Kurenai was justly kind in her teaching processes Anko and Hana were not as 'kind'. In fact, the two young women actually reminded him of himself, as they would play verbal pranks on the young man. The thing was that Kurenai placed the two in charge of teaching Naruto how to handle a woman verbally, from compliments to flattery. The way that the two playful girls took to teaching this was by acting as if they were the girl he was dating, and they would strike up a conversation with Naruto, who replied to what they said normally. When he made a mistake, such as falling into a woman's vile trap of asking if she was fat, he would again be playfully hit on the head with a rolled up newspaper, and instructed how not to respond or comment. It also did not help Naruto that Anko and Hana were excellent actors, sometimes making instances for Naruto awkward, pretending to take offense by the young man after he slipped up in his words. His smile deepened slightly when he remembered how Anko threw herself into his arms after he complimented her on how her psychotic tendencies weren't 'that' bad. However, with the insane women aside, there was still one aspect to the date that remained, and if Naruto wasn't wrong, then the final act was about to begin.

Turning his head so he could see the drooping eyes and smiling face of Ayame, he shook her slightly and whispered to her, "The date isn't over yet…"

Ayame, looking up into her date's azure eyes, could only ask in confusion, with a slight undertone of giddy excitement, "W-what do you mean?"

As if to answer her question, a soft melody began to drift through the stilled air. It sounded familiar to her, like a song she heard recently, but could not place the name, and as it drifted into her, through her, she could not help but wiggle to the subtle beat. A thought crept into her mind as she listened to the music play: what was the music's purpose? Why was the music playing? She smiled to herself when she thought of a different question. What did Naruto have planned for the music?

As she was enjoying the soft playing music, she soon felt the arm of her date leave her shoulder and felt his warmth leave her as well when he rose to his feet. From her position on the ground, Ayame threw him a questioning glance as to why he was leaving her, but when she saw him hold out his hand to her, her heart nearly stopped.

"It would honor me if you would permit me a dance," he spoke softly, giving her one of his genuine smiles.

As Ayame stared at his hand, and then to his face and back at his hand, she nearly forgot to breath. The music played, this time with more volume, and before the young woman knew what was happening, she was on her feet. It was as if she was watching what was happening to her body from outside of it, as if she was floating above the scene. The music had a soft tone to it, even though she could hear the song throughout the area. Naruto led her about, holding her one hand with one of his as his other hand lay dormant on her hip. With her hand clasped firmly in his own, her other hand could only find its home on his shoulder.

He swayed with the music with an ease that surprised her and made her envy him as well. One instance, the two of them would be swaying about the clearing, and the next he would let go of her waist and spin her in place. One thing was evident; he wasn't listening to the music. It was indeed a shame, she thought to herself, especially since it was a beautiful melody. Rather, he was focusing on his footwork, keeping each step to the script that the women forced him to learn earlier. Therefore, she allowed him to have complete control as she enjoyed the music for the both of them.

**There's something in your eyes  
Is everything alright?  
You look up to the sky  
You long for something more, **

**Darlin'**

**Give me your right hand  
I think I understand, **

**follow me and you will never have to wish again**

I know that after tonight  
You don't have to look up at the stars 

**No no no no  
And I know by the end of tonight  
You don't have to look up at the stars**

**And I know if the love is alright  
You don't have to look up at the stars**

**No no no no  
I know by the end of tonight  
You don't have to look up at the stars  
No no no no no no no no no**

As she listened to the words of the upbeat song, she couldn't help but blush. Luckily, Ayame's face was to the left of Naruto and her hair draped over her face. Otherwise, Naruto would notice her embarrassment as they danced. The song, in her opinion, was just so _raw_, so _forward_ and _blunt_, and the strange thing was, as Naruto swung and dipped her during the verses, that she could only see Naruto during this song. It was not because of the fact that he was standing beside her and leading her in the dance, but rather she saw him with her. She saw his emotions for her, his deep affection and longing. Suddenly, a fluid dip from her date brought her eyes to his face, and her attention back to the music.

**Tell me how you feel  
And if I'm getting near  
I'll tell you where to steer  
You tell me where to steer, **

**D-D-D-Darlin' **

**Way above the clouds  
And high above the stars  
Through the unknown black holes  
No one knows where we are  
But we'll return to earth  
And do it all over again**

Cause I know that after tonight  
You don't have to look up at the stars 

**No no no no  
And I know by the end of tonight  
You don't have to look up at the stars  
**

**And I know if the love is alright  
You don't have to look up at the stars **

**No no no no  
I know by the end of tonight  
You don't have to look up at the stars**

Her blush doubled when she heard the last set of verses, and as she stared into her date's sparkling eyes, she realized something, something mind blowing. He held her to him and guided her through steps that she did not know. The thoughts that battered her mind earlier, the same thoughts that brought her to the brink of mental overload, came back to her in a rush.

**Now come away with me  
Come fly away with me  
Just for one night  
No one will ever know  
No no…no, **

**Darlin' I will leave you satisfied  
Forever past time  
You don't have to hide  
Your free to fly**

The lyrics invaded her thoughts, and the prior thoughts blew away from her mind, as Naruto figuratively took her to the moon. She, again, marveled at his grace and his flexibility as he paraded her around the clearing, and soon she was no longer dumbfounded into blind obedience. Rather, she felt the music as he did and decided to take command. She twirled around herself and broke away from his warmth and hands. Before the lyrics picked up again, she saucily beckoned him back to her as she began to sway and shake, just like the female dancers from the southern edges of Kaze no Kuni.

**I know that after tonight  
You don't have to look up at the stars **

**No no no no  
And I know by the end of tonight  
You don't have to look up at the stars  
**

**And I know if the love is alright  
You don't have to look up at the stars **

**No no no no  
I know by the end of tonight** **  
You don't have to look up at the stars**

He smirked for the first time during the date and complied, spinning and bobbing his way over towards his lovely date. He reached for her, but Ayame had other plans. She dashed from his arms and beckoned for him again, creating a game of tag almost instantly as they danced towards and around one another, until Naruto finally caught his allusive date and held her tightly.

**Said I know that after tonight  
You don't have to look up at the stars **

**No no no no  
And I know by the end of tonight  
You don't have to look up at the stars  
**

**And I know if the love is alright  
You don't have to look up at the stars **

**No no no no  
I know by the end of tonight  
You'll be looking down upon them  
From heaven **

**yeah ye~ah  
Oh no no, oh na na na~na na na  
Yeah ye~ah **

**ooh na na na~~oh**

Naruto and Ayame no longer held one another like elegant waltzers, but held each other with their arms around a toned neck and around a healthy waist. The music died out eventually, leaving Ayame with her temple resting against Naruto's, Naruto reveling in Ayame light perfume. It was then after that, the words became her, after the lyrics entered her soul and told her the truth. It was then that Ayame understood.

Ayame was indeed in love with Naruto. She had probably been in love since many years ago, but it just took this one night, these few events, for her to realize it and the thing was, it was not like the brother/sister love that she first suspected, but rather the romantic love, the love of close bodies and of kindred souls.

She giggled softly to herself as a slower beat song condensed in the air around them. She thought of her Naruto-inscribed pillow that she created. At first, the idea of the pillow was to keep her seamstress talents well-tuned, so she decided to make it a full-sized pillow, with some kind of design sown into the front of it. She debated on what kind of image she should place on the front for a long amount of time. It had been days since she first thought of the endeavor and had yet decided on a set image.

However, that day changed everything. Ayame was working the Ramen Bar as usual, when three young men entered the storefront business, the same men that were notorious for hitting on her. As she took their orders, and sidestepping their pitiful attempts of advances, she saw Naruto out of the corner of her eye standing outside the Ramen Bar. He seemed to be analyzing the situation, but before she could mouth something to him, he disappeared. Seconds later, a gorgeous blonde-haired woman entered the Ramen Bar as well. Due to her beauty, a superficial and haughty beauty at that, the three teens quickly forgot about Ayame, and they focused their joint efforts towards the new woman. The woman would only smile and wave, as well as flirting shamelessly with the three. Soon after, by using some choice phrases and compliments, she had the three boys fighting amongst themselves. It was then, when the fight was about to tear the Ramen Bar apart, that Teuchi appeared; he was out talking to an associate of his about fresh meats. The older man threw the hormonal teens out of the Ramen Bar faster than Naruto and Ayame had thought possible. When Ayame turned to the woman, she found Naruto standing there with a large smile on his face. His smile and the acts he did were what stole Ayame's attention. That night, she stitched a perfect replica of that smile into her pillow, and she slept with it ever since.

Therefore, the construction of the Naruto pillow was rather innocent at the time, but as she came to terms with what she was feeling, new revelations were overtaking her. She now understood why she decided to make the pillow in her date's image all those years ago. She understood why she was so happy to see him every day. She finally understood why she demanded the date with the blonde. She fell out of family love with the blonde and into romantic love.

She was in love with Uzumaki Naruto, the same man that her good friend was also in love with.

The headache from what felt like hours ago threatened her sanity again. By now, the two were just rocking in place as the slow music blanketed them. Ayame's arms were around Naruto's neck, and her fingers played softly with his hair. Seeing that she was taller than her date, Ayame rested her temple against his, causing their cheeks to graze one another's without meaning too. Naruto, who was blushing up a storm as he felt his date's body against his own, allowed himself a small reward for a date well done and inhaled Ayame's scent unashamed, just as he did with Hinata. She smelt of work, of oil and sweat, but instead of offending Naruto, it pleased him; it meant that Ayame was a girl who was not ashamed to get down and dirty, willing to work rigorously for her pay.

Both of the teens' minds were in a state of mild turmoil. While Ayame's mind was coming to terms with the new emotions that were encompassing her towards the blonde, Naruto's mind was giving him confusing thoughts. He was having the same feelings that he felt whenever he was with Yoko and Hinata. However, as their minds ran rampant, their faces and bodies never betrayed their thoughts, but rather moved on some type of 'auto-pilot' as the music continued. Soon, when the thoughts of the two were on the verge of consuming them, the music wound down, before coming to a stop altogether.

Ayame clung to Naruto even though the music was silent, and Naruto did the same. It was as if the two were using each other like some kind of lifeline. If they let go of one another, the world would end and all time would cease. Nevertheless, their embrace also ended, but the two did not fully unravel themselves from the other. Instead, the stood in the clearing staring up into the star-studded skies, the sun disappearing past the horizon sometime during their Ball, with Naruto keeping one arm circled around Ayame's waist. Even with all the hectic thoughts that attacked Ayame, she could not stop from smiling up at the heavens. It was perfect; it was as if God finally showed her the truth in her life. A content sigh escaped her lips as she leaned into Naruto, unashamed by the action.

Naruto, too, was smiling; he was happy that Ayame was happy. He was happy that she enjoyed herself and that she was content. To him, that was all that mattered. He also gazed up into the stars and soon lost himself to the vastness of it all. The same sensation that 'plagued' him when he was around Yoko and Hinata was settling upon him again, and he didn't know what to think of it. It was like a warm and full feeling that made its home in his belly, like eating a healthy and filling meal. The feeling left as if he under a wool blanket and lying on a heavy downy mattress; warm and secure. The only sensation that Naruto could akin it too would be the few times in his life that he was _truly_ content.

It was then that the blonde noticed that his date was shivering, even with his impressive warmth. Thinking of the blanket given to him, Naruto quickly steered Ayame back towards the picnic, all the while keeping his arm around her to help her fend off the cold, but when he saw the chaos that was the picnic blanket, he was slightly ashamed. The bentos were still open and the other things he brought with him were still out in the open. Therefore, he quickly created a Shadow Doppelganger with a flash of his hands and set it forth to pack up the picnic, as he collected the spare blanket and went to wrap her in it.

Ayame, once the warmth of the blanket and her date touched her chilled nerves, smiled contently and leaned further into Naruto's embrace. She looked into Naruto's eyes, his sparkling and deep blue eyes, and smiled again, but this time, her smile held something different. It was not her normal friendly smile or her 'Thank you for dining with us' smile. No, this smile was something that Naruto never saw before. It was as if all was right in her world, as if she was truly happy. He sat her down beside him, both looking out over the monument's edge, and onto the villages many lights.

Before he could look farther into the smile Ayame's voice broke his concentration. She leaned her head against his shoulder as she said, "What else do you have planned Naruto?"

The lack of suffix was evident to Naruto and caused him to raise an eyebrow. Though their relationship was a close one, they had yet to drop suffixes. He just shrugged it off mentally before he answered her. "I was thinking about having dessert, ice cream actually, but seeing as we are both a little cold, I guess we _could_ skip it. It's all up to you, so what do you want to do?"

She mulled over his honesty for several seconds, as she continued to gaze into the village. It was true that the two of them were cold, and the thought of ingesting something that was equally cold did not suit her. Therefore, in response she asked another question, "What time do you think it is?"

Naruto quickly calculated an estimate and said, "I think it's somewhere between 9:45 and 10:15…"

"Hmmm…" was her response.

The date was pretty close to being done anyways. Ayame, this time, sighed out of annoyance. She really wanted the date to continue until the end of time, but seeing as she was on the verge of falling into a blissful sleep, lulled there by her happiness and Naruto's warmth, she decided that the date ended perfectly.

"If you don't mind, I think we should call it a night," she said with a cute yawn.

Naruto mentally agreed with her; he was also on the verge of falling asleep, lulled there by his happiness in her happiness and out of weary fatigue. However, the mischievous side of his brain nagged at him with a playful thought. Smirking, he said innocently, "Oh, I see what you're saying. I was so boring that you just wish to get away from me that much quicker, huh?"

Ayame's eyes snapped wide open at the thought that she, in fact, insulted her date with her words. Whipping towards Naruto, she quickly elaborated. "No, no, no, no! It's not that _at all_! I actually had the best time of my life. It's just that I fear that I will fall asleep if I stay out any longer…"

Naruto just chuckled at her face. "I'm kidding. I feel the same way; I feel like I could zonk out at any second."

Realizing that Naruto tricked her, she slapped him half-heartily on the shoulder. "That wasn't very nice," she scolded.

"Oh, you girls get to do it all the time to us guys. What's wrong with me getting some revenge every once and a while?"

"Whatever…" she pouted, arms crossed over her chest in annoyance.

Naruto could only chuckle again before he rose to his feet, draping the blanket fully over Ayame. He soon rolled his shoulders and stretched, unknowingly giving Ayame an up-close view of his trained and coiling muscles. Now that she understood what she was feeling, she felt less guilty about checking out the physical makeup of her date. Once he was thoroughly prepped and ready for travel, Naruto offered his hand to Ayame again.

"Would you permit this lonely knight to escort you back to your castle, milady?" he asked in the same noble and masculine voice he used at the beginning of their date.

Smirking, Ayame took his hand in hers, taking the time to caress his knuckles with her thumb, and allowed him to help her to her feet. "I would indeed be greatly honored if my knight would see me home," she said.

Naruto bowed in acceptance. Moving quickly once again, Naruto appeared besides her and scooped her up into his arms, taking extreme care to make sure that the blanket was firmly around her so that the night's air did not bother her during their decent. He soon nodded towards the Shadow Doppelganger that was carrying the picnic basket, as well as Ayame's discarded coat and shoes, the shoes that she discarded once the dance begun.

Without any sort of warning, Naruto barreled towards the stairs of the monument and shot down them. Unlike before, Ayame did not worry as she had when Naruto took her up the tall and daunting stairs, but rather, she closed her eyes and placed her ear to his chest. The steady sound of his throbbing heart eased her fear and worry. It told her that no matter what was going on or no matter what was happening; she would always be safe in his arms; that Naruto would be there for her no matter what, and he would even be there when she did not want him to be.

In what seemed like seconds the three of them, Ayame and two Naruto's, were before the door to the Ichiraku's household. What Naruto did not know, while he had been jumping from rooftop to rooftop, was that Ayame was silently plotting her own end to her date. Even though she was eternally grateful to this Kurenai woman for helping her Naruto in constructing such on unforgettable date, but for the final part of the date, Ayame wanted control of the script.

As Naruto set her down, he signaled to his Shadow Doppelganger to head towards the apartment to take care of the picnic basket and supplies. With a firm nod, the Doppelganger disappeared into the night by bounding over the alley and across the rooftops of the village. Once the Doppelganger left, Naruto turned to the flush face of Ayame and chuckled sheepishly.

"I guess this is goodnight, huh?" he asked rhetorically.

"Indeed it is Naruto. I have to say that was the best thing that has ever happened in my life," Ayame replied cheekily.

"Oh come on," Naruto modestly countered, "You're beautiful, kind, caring, and great. There has to be better dates than this?"

Ayame's smile morphed into one of saddened honesty. "Naruto, I haven't been on a date before this one. All the other guys just want to score with me, more than anything else."

Naruto paused for several seconds as he thought of his comeback. It was somewhat difficult for him to conceive the idea that Ichiraku Ayame, one of the few pure girls he ever had the pleasure of knowing, never knew what a date was like before tonight.

"You deserve better," he said to himself.

Ayame smiled good-naturedly to his words. "Thank you Naruto," she said in response.

"No, I mean it," his words took over him, and before he knew what he was saying, it was already coming out of his mouth. "I don't just say that because it's the right thing to say. I _mean_ it. Hell, you are one of the perfect people I know, and trust me I know; I can count every _living_ good person in my life on one hand, and you're one of them. You should have been on at least a _hundred_ different dates by now, ten times greater than this one." By the time he ended his tirade, he was panting slightly.

Ayame, while slightly stunned by his words, smiled the same smile from before. "Thank you, Naruto."

Nodding to her tone, a tone so true that spoke not only to his ears, but also to his heart, Naruto smiled sheepishly at his own actions. "Sorry about that," he apologized, "sometimes my mouth speaks before my mind can sort out what I want to say and well…"

"That's the only way I would have you Naruto," she quietly said, as she rocked back on her heels and grasped her hands behind her back.

Slightly 'unnerved' by her words, Naruto decided that now would be a good time to end the date and head out. "Well, goodnight Ayame-chan. I'll see you tomorrow." He turned to leave via the street, but the firm grip of Ayame's hand on his wrist stopped him from leaving.

"Naruto~," she all, but cooed from behind him, "Didn't Kurenai-san tell you how you _properly_ end a date?"

"Uh…no?" he truly did not know how to respond, because he honestly didn't know.

"Well~, usually dates end in a…_kiss_…"

Naruto's blood ran cold when he heard that one word. Before he could react, he found himself against the opposite wall of the alley with Ayame standing before him like some kind of superior predator. "You wouldn't be thinking of ending this _perfect_ date improperly, would you?" she asked with a childish pout. "You wouldn't think of leaving me here, _a__ll alone?_"

His mind was barely processing what she was saying. All he knew was that she had one thing on her mind, the same thing that could 'enslave' her to him. He couldn't let that happen to such a kind and perfect girl. He could not allow her to fall into an inescapable relationship when she had yet to find her true love. He could not, and would not, permit her from making that mistake.

By now, she was descending upon his entrapped form, about to claim her 'end date prize'. Deep down inside, she felt a little ashamed of herself for what she was about to do, but Hinata pined after this one boy for several years, more years than Ayame even knew. Yet, here she was, swooping in like some hawk and stealing a juicy mouse from the field. She honestly felt bad, but those who stood idle waiting for a chance to come their way would lose their prize.

_I'm sorry Hinata-chan,_ Ayame thought remorsefully, _But for right now…he is mine…_

Just as she was about to claim her ultimate prize, she found the tables turned; she was now the one pressed against the walls of the alleyway. She didn't know what happened, but she was enjoying the outcome as a slender appendage pressed itself against the throbbing flesh of her neck. Naruto seemed to take control once again, but she doubted it was due to the date's script, but for whatever reason he 'snapped,' she would not complain.

Naruto, in his desperation, once again fell into a strange trance. He lost control of his body and mind, leaving him with nothing but the barest of cognitive thinking. What he could discern though, was that he was currently making a feast out of Ayame's sleek neck, and if he were to be honest with himself, she tasted delicious.

Ayame was for a loss of words and thought. She knew from listening through the grapevine that certain places on the female's body could bring about untold amounts of pleasure, but she never thought that such pleasure would come from the juncture of her throat and neck. It felt as if she were no longer her own person, but belonged solely to Naruto. She felt her world explode, and her seas shake. To her, there was no longer an alleyway, there was no longer Konoha, there were no longer the Elemental Countries, but rather there was only Naruto and her. There was only the sensation of his lips as he suckled on her flesh, as he nipped her throbbing vein, and kissing her throat. She knew she should not be enjoying the assault as much as she was, but the person who was doing the 'assault' was Naruto, a man that held her complete trust, even before she knew she gave it to him. She knew that he would never harm her; even if possessed by the greatest beast in the land, he would not harm her.

He suddenly switched from the left side of her neck to the right side, nipping, suckling, and kissing with a new vigor that she did not know he possess. She tried to suppress her voice, she truly did, but when he found a new nerve center, a shock as if none she ever felt before rocked her body. She was his slave and she was enjoying every minute of it. Nevertheless, like all good things, they must all end eventually. With one last harsh suck, which brought forth a throaty moan from Ayame, Naruto disengaged himself from his date's neck.

His eyes were half-lidded, and the slit of his pupils reverted into whole circles, something that Ayame missed due to her pleasure haze. His lips were moist with his saliva, and he had to lick his lips in fear that some of the saliva might fall to the ground, or worse yet, onto his dates clothes.

When Naruto's mind came back to himself, he noticed several things. One thing was that Ayame was literally glowing with a shamelessly silly grin on her face. The second thing that he noticed was that her hands were currently threading through his hair as if she tried anchoring him to her for some reason, and the third, and more terrifying, thing that Naruto noticed was that there were two red, coin-shaped marks on her neck. When he noticed the two darkened areas of flesh on her neck, he instantly knew that something 'bad' happened while he was out of it.

So without thinking, or comprehending what happened, Naruto disappeared from Ayame's view, leaving the young Ichiraku alone in the alleyway, but nonetheless happy as could be. She did not mind that he fled. She understood that he ran out of fear of what he just did. He most likely did not know that what he did was not harmful, but in fact pleasurable. There would be enough time to explain things in the near future.

Therefore, she picked herself off the alley's wall and smiled in the direction she knew that Naruto took. She did not know how she knew where he went, but she did not care. All that mattered was that Naruto returned her feelings in his own unique way, just as he usually did.

"I would have you no other way," she whispered into the dark, and with that final line, she made her way into her home on shaky legs, a smile across her face.

XxXxX Anko's apartment; Time: 22:20 XxXxX

The plan was to let Naruto stick to the date script with Yuugao looking over his shoulder the whole time. The young Uzuki was on duty during the time that the date was taking place, so having her look after the young man was well within her power. Yuugao also played a special role in the date. Her role was to play the music from a hidden location, and to stop the music once the two seemed to have had their fill. Other than that, the only other objective that Yuugao had was to protect Naruto and his date from any unworthy individuals, and video tape the entire experience. There was no way that any of the other girls were going to let a chance of young love theater slip through their fingers.

Therefore, Hana, Anko, and Kurenai were waiting for the young Uzuki to return with their new entertainment, but they were also waiting for an entirely different reason. Nimaru and Kitenhime had yet to deliver their reports, and the only member that was missing was the aforementioned Yuugao.

They did not have to wait long, for like a shadow, Yuugao slipped into the living room of Anko's dark apartment. The mood in the room would be one of joyous tomfoolery, if not for the words, "You're not going to like this," passed through Kitenhime's lips to summarize the day when Anko asked her to do so earlier; all the girls were on edge. Now with Yuugao finally there, the debriefing could commence.

A thought came to Kitenhime as she was waiting for all the key players to converge, and once they were all present, she sprang from her position in the center of the coffee table of the living room and unto the floor. Before anyone could question her motives, a plume of smoke engulfed the area in which the small snake landed. Anko's eyebrow escaped into her hairline at the sign of the smoke; that could only mean one thing, but why was the summon performing such an act? When questioning looks were sent towards Anko, hoping for her to elaborate as to the reason of the smoke, a slender and mocha-toned arm dispersed the smoke with a few swings. When the smoke completely dispersed, what the ladies saw in front of them was a tall, long-legged, metallic purple-haired woman.

She was nude, but that did not surprise the other women. Rather, her skin tone surprised them. This new woman was entirely mocha-toned, a woman with black skin. Such a skin color was not common in the Elemental Countries. In fact, the only places that such a skin tone was, was within the borders of the Land of Lightning. Seeing that this woman was not from such a land, this meant only one thing: that this was the small snake summon Kitenhime, all the girls let out a whistle of surprise and awe. Her body was one of lithe and slender beauty: slender, tone legs, a slim waist, and breasts that filled one's hand, if not a little more. Her face was slightly angular, like her serpent-like head before, but her metallic purple hair framed her face and sprouted behind her head in a style reminiscent of Anko's. The only other thing that was peculiar with Kitenhime's human appearance was that she had an eye patch, with the symbol for 'Serpent' inscribed on the front, placed over her right eye.

Looking down, Kitenhime saw her immodesty and blushed, making her dark face even darker in the lack of light. To remedy the lack of clothing, Kitenhime quickly took a blanket from a nearby chair and securely wrapped it around her torso to hide her shame. The beautiful mocha-skinned woman made a mental note to persuade Anko into taking her clothes shopping. The reason being was that the novel _Icha Icha Pursuit _sparked her interest in the aspect of her human figure, but what solidified her thought were the actions that occurred to Naruto. Though she only knew the young man for less than twelve hours, she found herself impressed by the boy. The young man showed traits that reminded her of her own kind: conviction, independence, strength, and cunning. After she had time to digest the events of the day, she decided that she would do what she did with Anko; she would support the young man and help him in any way she could. It was a difficult decision for her to make, especially since snakes were an independent race and usually place their elegance with no one. Orochimaru still did not have the full allegiance of Manda with the head summon stating that, "Your blood is so foul that not even a hundred sacrifices would amend it", and the only other person that had a slight respect from the snakes was Anko. Therefore, for a snake to take an interest in a non-summoner was unheard of. However, to the snake summon, that did not matter; she knew what she witnessed and she already made up her mind.

Now fully clothed, and before any of the girls could spring forth questions, Kitenhime walked towards the living room's window and opened it wide. She quickly made a beckoning motion with her hand, and before anyone could say anything, four male figures were instantly in the living room along with the four women. She sensed the Fox Corp arrive around Anko's apartment building and knew that they would want to hear the debriefing as well. She saw the conviction in the men's eyes when they stood before Naruto, and she instinctively knew that they would stand by the young man when few would.

Seeing that all of the actors were in place, Kitenhime turned to her audience before her and whispered, "You're not going to like this…"

With that, Kitenhime began her debriefing, her tale of the days horrors and terrors.

XxXxX Within Naruto's mind XxXxX

Before the day could end for Naruto, there was one last thing he needed to do, one last end he had to tie up. She laid waiting for him on her bed. She did not seem angry or sad. If anything, she looked relieved and happy. A smile spread on her face and her eyes sparkled like never before as he approached. She was wearing her usual wine-red slacks and wine-red top, and it was as if nothing in the day happened between them. It seemed as if she forgot his angry outburst from before, as well as his complete act of avoiding her. It was that face, that happy understanding face, which made Naruto so sad. He could deal with insulting men and cursing women, but when it came to one that only showed him affection and endearment, he could not. He had even acted like a complete ass, yet her face shown as if he had come home from a war…he did not know what to do.

Therefore, he sat on the edge of her bed, his back to her and he waited. He did not know what he was waiting for, maybe a verbal reprimand or a physical reminder, but what he did know was that he needed to wait. He was willing to wait until the end of time to hear her tirade, to weather her disappointment, for he knew that he deserved it. Memories of his actions towards her, or his lack of interactions, filtered into his mind, and the more he recounted them, the worse he felt.

He did not have to wallow long in his self-reflection, for he felt her moving before he saw her. Yoko decided to leave her bed and stand before him, her beauty almost blinding him. She moved again, this time onto his open lap, straddling him like some kind of chair, and pressed the fullness of her body against his. He knew that she did not mean anything provocative by the action. In fact, the action only served to display nothing but love and commitment, something that he felt ashamed of receiving. She was relaying her feelings of him through her body and into his. For Yoko, she knew that words would have no hope in relaying the emotions she felt. While she could use words to describe the feelings she felt, only the actions of the body would connect via their souls.

"Yoko, I'm so—" his voice cut off as her lips silenced him.

Her lips were soft against his, like fine silk, and when she set her weight against him, feeling her body and being against his own, he forgot to breathe. They crashed to the mattress, yet their lips never once left another. There was something in their connection, something that Naruto could not place, but whatever it was, it did not matter. All that mattered was that Yoko was with him again, and that he was not alone. His arms wrapped around her waist and anchored her to him, and her hands ensnared themselves in his hair. They were not leaving each other for some time.

He broke away panting, the need for air to great. However, once he got his fill, he took command. Moving with ease, Naruto rolled so that Yoko was underneath him. There was no protest in her eyes when he gazed into her scarlet depths. The only thing that he was able to see was understanding, forgiveness, and devotion. The last one sent Naruto's mind for a loop before he lost himself again to her lips, wishing to lose his mind in her, before it could run away with him.

The battle of their lips lasted for a few more minutes, but it never went past that. As Naruto kissed his mate, he did not do so as a means of sexual relief, but rather he did so to revel in her. He missed her, no matter how hard he tried hiding it. One whole day without her nearly drove him mad. Luckily, he had distractions in the form of other women to help him cope with her lack of contact. He missed her warmth, he missed her words, and most importantly, he missed _her_. He needed her now more than anything, more than food, more than sleep, and more than air.

In a flash of inspiration, Naruto broke from his mate's reddened lips and attacked her neck. Her scent, it was so different from Ayame's or Hinata's scent. It seemed as if every girl had her own special scent. Yoko's scent was that of heat, of spice, of passion and power, but she also had an underlining scent of calmness, of clear skies and clean fields. Yoko's scent was so unlike the other girls'; rather, her scent was otherworldly. When he recounted the scents of Hinata and Ayame, he noticed that their scents had physical names. Hinata smelled of soft flowers and cleanliness, while Ayame smelled of oils and sweat. Yoko's scents were something entirely different. She did not smell of a nameable thing, but rather, she was _part_ of that scent. It was as if she possessed the scent even before the scent had a name, and even now, as he tried to explain the scent, he could not. Her scent was hers and no one else could duplicate it.

In fear that he would lose himself too much to his mate, Naruto reined his passions and his emotions in, and tore himself away from Yoko's slim neck, much to her sorrow. He lay above her, panting and heaving, and before he could utter a single word to her, she silenced him with her long index finger.

"All is well now, Naru-kun. You do not need to worry about anything else. For now, sleep, especially since your day has been long and hard…"

He wanted to protest, he wanted to tell her she was wrong, that he did need to talk to her, but with one press of her finger against the conjunction between his shoulder and neck, all went dark and sleep consumed him.

XxXxX End XxXxX

And so brings the end to my little arc. I call it 'Day in the life of Naruto' arc. The main reason for this arc/set of chapters was to show you readers what Naruto's new life holds. It will set the tone for the rest of the fic in means of conflicts, romance, silliness.

Luckily for you guys I am a hopeless romantic so I was glad to show you my fantasies into what I wish I could do. Oh well, being a recluse never comes with companionship so why not create your own ideal date/relationship so it can be used on a later date.

As for the song, it is Justin Nozuka's _After Tonight_. I was originally intending to use Michael Buble's _Save the Last Dance for Me_ but I felt that the lyrics did not mix well with the message I was trying to portray. Luckily this one did.

Hmm, what else to say… well the next chapter will go right into the Wave Arc so look forward to that. I'm going to enjoy this Arc, more so than any of the other Arcs in the Narutoverse. Trust me you will enjoy it too with what I have planned.

Well, that's all for me. Like always, please review but Do Unto Others. Meaning, review as you would want someone to review your works. Tell me what you think, what you liked, disliked, and advice if you have any.

TTFN

Evilsheeplordthatsaysmoo

PS: I hope this is a good Christmas gift to you all.


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